Claws of Fallen Stars
by mythicalpalkia
Summary: Sometimes, your only choice is to make a choice. For Loke, a choice means everything he lives for. When he is taken away from his master and now is in the hands of an old foe, he must hold onto hope. But how can he do that when he no longer recognizes himself, mentally and physically? Meanwhile, Lucy struggles over her feelings for the missing lion spirit. Is he for real?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

**Author's Note**

**Just recently got into Fairy Tail. And maybe I love a certain character XD So hope you guys enjoy! **

He heard her coming. The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the prison where he was currently held. The place itself was cold and dark and gloomy, something that he didn't really like to begin with. Course he couldn't leave even if he tried.

He heard the sound of a whip being lashed. It was her indeed. The barred door to his prison opened, and she stepped inside. There was no fear on her face, only malice and hatred towards the prisoner. The whip laid in her hand, ready to be used. However, silence spoke for itself.

The prisoner laid there on the cold, stone floor, battered and beaten, but not broken. It was determination that had gotten him through this so far, and it would be his determination that would get him out of here. Injuries, though not noticeable through his now dirty and haggard clothing, went up and down his body. He was weak, as he was only allowed a certain amount of magic to keep him alive.

He couldn't leave here even if he tried. No one knew where he was, and there was no way to track him either. All of his connections were cut off, and so were his abilities. No one could come and find him. He missed his friends. He missed his family. He missed _her. _And yet he couldn't answer her call even if he tried.

The woman approached him, a smirk of interest and cynical behavior forming on her face. "Well, how are we doing today?" She asked him smugly.

He didn't heed her answer. His head was to the wall, as well as his body. His arms and legs were in chains. A special necklace was around his neck, preventing his communication and departure, as well as his magic. He couldn't take it off, as it would hurt him when he tried.

"Quiet today, aren't we?" The woman inquired. "Such a shame. I had a proposal for you, but I suppose you are not in the mood to answer me. Perhaps I could fix that." She tapped the whip against her hand. He perked up when she first mentioned a so-called, "proposal."

"What kind of proposal?" He asked, not bothering to turn his head in the slightest as he spoke towards the wall. Usually when she offered him some proposal, there was always something with a catch. And it was, for the most part, a catch he didn't want to risk. However this time around, he couldn't help but feel that there was something _more _to this one.

"Turn around and you'll see," she answered him. "I think you'll like what I'm offering. It's invaluable as it is." He didn't feel like turning around. His body ached too much from the pain. But what could be so valuable that would make him interested? Unless...His thoughts became frantic, and he refused to turn around.

"No," he answered, trying his best to hold his shaky breath back. She knew he didn't want anything to do with her. Time to change tactics.

"Oh come now," she answered. "I'm sure you'll love it. And besides…" She came up to him and knelt down, brushing her hand along his clothes. "Your clothes are a mess! I'm sure she could make you some…"

"...out of the material she can create."

His breath hitched in his throat. '_No…' _he thought desperately. He shot up from the ground and looked over his shoulder. His pupils shrunk to the size of pinpricks at what he saw. She was holding a small golden object in her hands, right in front of him. He recognized it instantly, as fear took over him. How did she get that?!

"No…" he trailed off. "How...how did you get that!?" He spoke frantically. Her cynical smile widened. Now she had gotten his attention.

"This _always _belonged to me. Do you think I would ever give up something that is so valuable?" She snickered at the last part, then began stroking the golden object, like it was her most precious thing in the world.

He grunted in frustration at the sight of it. What was he going to do now? How in the universe did she possibly get this? She could be lying, and the object itself could be fake. However, it looked too real to be fake. No one just goes around and makes those fake golden objects. Not when they meant so much in the universe. And yet how did she get it?

"Give it to me right now!" He menacingly growled at her. "Or else I'll…"

"Or else you'll what?" She asked. "You'll growl at me? Lash out at me? Bare your teeth like the animal you are!" He had to admit, there was nothing he could do in this situation at the moment. He was powerless, chained up like an animal. He was an animal he realized. He lowered his head down and said nothing.

"I will give you this, for a small price…" she inquired. He lifted his head to her.

"What...do you want from me?!" He yelled in anger. There was always some sort of price to pay when it came to her deals. And most of the time, they were pretty hefty. She smirked at him once more in a cynical way.

"I want you to break the thing that matters to you the most..."

His eyes became filled with terror and horror at the words that came out of her mouth. "No! I'll never do it!" He yelled. "I'll never give you that! As long as I live! I don't even have the power to do it anyway!"

She sighed. The woman knew that he was stubborn. After all, he was hers at one point as well. But she knew that there were ways to push his buttons.

"Of course you can do it," she answered. The woman twirled the object in her hand. "After all, aren't you the strongest of them? The leader? You could've broken it when you were with me. But you chose not to, because she couldn't break it. So you stayed with her, out of pity and remorse. I'm right, aren't I? I've studied everything about you. And you've said it yourself. 'There are some things that I can do that they can't,' yes?" His eyes were brimming with tears.

"Shut up...shut up...SHUT UP!" he roared. She could feel the anger within him brimming to the surface. An emotion that he almost never felt. Hatred. The woman had played her cards right. Having him choose was the way to break him. However, she had enough of his screaming. She took out her whip. WHAM! Right on his right shoulder. He grimaced in pain, holding back another scream.

"Hmm, hmm, hmm," She chuckled. "Now, I want you to choose." He looked up at her, terror in his eyes. "Break it, and I will set her free. If you don't, then I'll use her to my advantage. Of course you know what that means…" The woman smiled at the last thought. His body began to tremble. He was afraid. What could he do? This couldn't be a trick, could it?

If he broke it, that meant never seeing her again, but she would be free. If he didn't break it, she would be put through so much punishment and torture. He would never forgive himself if that happened. But...breaking it...meant breaking his promise. He promised to be with her. By her side! However, if he broke it, no one would get hurt. No one would be tortured like he was. He had no choice.

"I'll...I'll…I'll do it…" he stuttered out, not liking the words that came out of his own mouth. He was betraying everything he knew. "I'll...break...it." She smiled in approval at his choice.

'_Predictable,' _she thought. '_Always the one to be the hero.' _The woman stepped away from him, now knowing what he was going to do. She felt proud. She felt happy. Her revenge finally finalized.

He struggled to get up, the best he could do was get into a kneeling position. Once he was there, a bright yellow aura of magic surrounded his body. It hurt using it. It really did. Both physically and mentally. Tears began to flow out of his eyes from the pain. He didn't want to do this, and yet he had to. For everyone's sake. It was what he had to do.

He began whispering something. Sort of like a prayer. She could hardly understand it since he was speaking so softly, and the magic around him began to swirl like a tornado.

"...Grant me the power…" he choked out. He realized he was beginning to sob. "To destroy the bond...that binds my soul...TO THIS WORLD!" He screamed out the last part.

The magic within him swelled up, and came roaring out like a hurricane. It encompassed his body, lighting up the entire place. It was all the power he could muster under those chains. And the entire time, he was crying. He finally broke through. His spirit...no, he himself was broken. "I'm sorry…" he muttered. "I'm so sorry…" The sound of a chain breaking was heard.

Far, far away from where he was held, across the continent, in the land of Ishgar, in the Kingdom of Fiore, in the town of Magnolia, in a certain guildhall where tons of people were running rampant trying to find someone, a golden key shattered into a million pieces.

A girl cried.

And a lion roared.


	2. Claws of Captured

**Author's Note**

**Hello Universe! It's your favorite legendary Palkia here!**

**I think it's cause this is my first "non-crossover" thing. I've written a Pokemon-Sonic crossover and a Naruto-TMNT crossover. So welcome to my first non-crossover lol and like my first Fairy Tail story. It probably won't be as long as Eternal Wind, give or take it might be 15 chapters (plus maybe a sequel) however with all the support for this, I'll keep it going!**

**I'll also update the info for the description as well. I was planning on keeping the characters from the prologue a mystery until I uploaded the first chapter (and if some of you guessed them good for you) Since this category is constant getting new stuff unlike most of the other story categories I've written in, which have like nothing posted ever XD So hi for those of you who are just find out about me!**

**I don't know how often I will update this. If it is really popular I'll update it more often. I got two other stories in progress, and one seems to be more popular over the other for now. So, let me know if you want this to be updated more often!**

**Last thing, this is set sometime between after the gang comes back from Tenrou but before Grand Magic Games.**

**Anyways, onto Chapter 1!**

**I do not own Fairy Tail.**

**Chapter 1**

**Claws of Captured**

_3 months earlier in the Spirit World…_

He flopped onto the bed, exhausted and tired. The battle he had just fought in was one of the longer ones, and if he had to be honest, he wasn't expecting it to be that difficult. Of course, he knew better than to underestimate his foes. Unfortunately Aquarius taught him that once, and he hoped that it wouldn't happen again. Not that he was afraid of the water mermaid, but being hit with a giant wave of water wasn't the greatest thing in the universe, especially since it came after trying to flirt with her. Yep, she was off his list for a long time now, that was for sure.

The young man put his hand through his hair, which was now even more of a mess than it usually was. Not that it was a mess to begin with, but sometimes his mane-like hair was hard to maintain. In even worse condition at the moment were his clothes. He wore a jet-black suit, with a white buttoned shirt and a red tie. Now, they were just covered in dirt and dust and torn in some places.

He had placed his glasses on the nightstand next to his bed. The frames had broken when a guy, oh what was his name? He honestly couldn't remember, since that guy had punched him in the face, destroying the glasses. Why did he even wear glasses to begin with? It's not like he needed them to see or anything. He had just gotten used to them when he wore them to disguise himself in Earthland. Speaking of which...

Leo the Lion, or Loke, sighed, his exhaustion getting the better of him.

No, he couldn't return now. He was too tired to do so. Even if Loke could force open his own gate, like he's done many times, it wouldn't stay open for too long. Plus, Lucy might smack him on the head if he did return. Ah Lucy. His beautiful master. The lion spirit had to admit, she indeed was beautiful. If only his flirting could pay off for once with her, she might actually be his. Yet she was smarter than that.

Loke had proclaimed his love for her many (and probably embarrassing) times. Some of these included a literal light show, to somewhat cheesy pickup lines like, "I'm your knight in shining armor!" and so forth. Even he had to admit, some of them were pretty bad. Since when did he have to resort to almost anything at this point? The spirit knew why.

He hated to say it, but there was nothing for him in the Spirit World. Romance-wise and not to mention there was literally nothing he really wanted to do here to begin with. Aries was too shy for him, and the, "I'm so sorry!" sometimes got annoying to him. Not that he didn't care for her of course. She was practically a little sister to him, and one he loved very much.

Virgo was pretty much out of the question. Loke found her to be creepy at some points, her sadistic nature and constantly asking for punishment sometimes made him nervous for her. He tried to think of a time when Virgo didn't ask for some sort of punishment, from either slapping to getting pummeled. And unfortunately, he couldn't remember. Maybe one of her previous masters invoked that mantra of punishment into her.

Aquarius...yeah Scorpio could have her. Libra wasn't his type. He didn't want to think of Pisces, since the mother already had a son. Ophiuchus...was that relationship even possible to begin with? As for other spirits, Loke just didn't have any interest in them. Sure the rest were silver keys, but he had least thought that some would have some sort of character. Maybe that's why his key as well as the others were considered gold instead of silver.

Aside from that, there wasn't really much to do here to begin with. Loke had a master, and frankly speaking the lion spirit barely spent any time in the Spirit World anymore. And what was there even to do around here? There were no towns, there were no cities, heck there wasn't really any entertainment to begin with. All there was was his and the other spirits' houses, each within their own respective constellation. Loke even had the largest house, and he felt like he barely used it, or rather didn't need it!

Course being absent from Spirit World for three years didn't help. But at the same time, there was also that three month time difference. He had never told Lucy about the time difference. So three years in Earthland was practically 12 days in the Spirit World. And seven years...Loke shivered at the thought.

Seven years had translated into 28 days in the Spirit World. That was the longest time he's ever spent at home. Of course, he sometimes made trips back to Earthland to see the guild, since he was able to open his own gate. But Loke had a feeling that Lucy wasn't dead at the time. Otherwise he would've felt his key drop into the ocean. Golden keys couldn't be destroyed, not even Acnologia himself could set them ablaze. The only way to break them was if the spirit was powerful enough to break the key or if someone were to summon the Spirit King.

Speaking of said moustache man, oh great now Lucy's got him thinking about it. He hasn't even seen him around lately. What does the guy even do? Though sometimes it was hard to see him since all of them lived very far apart from each other. The king doesn't just sit around all day does he? Unless he really is like the big pervert he sometimes comes off as.

Loke shook his head. Spirit King obviously could do more than he could. However, at this moment, he felt a little bit useless, and a tad bit lonely. The fight from earlier didn't help him at all. Lucy had summoned him in the middle of a fight against another dark guild, the name of the guild he did not know. But they were pretty powerful, even in the lion spirit's terms.

He felt something off about them, like a dark aura was with them in that battle. And it felt familiar to him. Loke didn't know why. However, he had to ignore it for the moment and fight for his master. Hmmm, that certainly went well. A couple of punches and kicks, and not to mention some burns from Natsu who accidentally shot a Fire Dragon's Roar at everyone, and five seconds later he got sent back.

The lion spirit knew that his master was alright now. He could feel it. Maybe she had summoned Aquarius to send in a tidal wave. Or perhaps Sagittarius a barrage of arrows at her foes. Maybe even Taurus to swing his axe around. The thought of his other spirits being more useful to her than him made him feel upset. He was supposed to be the leader of the Zodiacs! And the other spirits could handle the situation better than he could!

What did he have going for him? Regulus magic, that was pretty much it. Sure, the magic itself was useful since he was a combat specialist. However, at the same time Loke felt it wasn't useful. For close range yes it was very good. Long range? He had Lion Brilliance for that. But could it compare to tidal waves, sandstorms, a barrage of arrows, heck even a wall of wool? Those seem to do a lot more damage than his own attacks.

Other spirits had the power to bend reality itself. Some had power over the weather and elements. Some had the power to obtain the ability of others through touch. And some...well they had an interesting way of fighting, but it still worked out for them! He had magic too! So why did Loke feel like he was...weak?

It was a term the lion spirit often thought didn't describe him well. Weak. Defenseless. Vulnerable. Loke rolled onto his side, his head along with his messy hair lying against a pillow on the bed. He was beginning to second guess himself about what those words meant to him now. Loke was supposed to be fearless. The courageous lion.

Yet Loke didn't feel like one. In truth, he's never actually seen a lion before. There were none that lived in Fiore, as the climate and conditions weren't suitable for the species itself. Really the only thing he's seen is whatever the head of that thing was when it came out of Regulus Impact.

He'd seen goats, rams, bulls, fish, crabs, even scorpions during the times with his previous masters. And thankfully, none of those spirits were even remotely close to genetically related to their animal counterparts. But they still have some attributes, Capricorn even more so.

He had the hair of a lion, he supposed. Even then, everyone else looked similar or at least tried to play the part of looking like what they were based off of. From what Loke knew, lions were supposed to be fearless, strong, kings of the jungle in a sense. So wasn't he supposed to be like that? The strongest of them all? Yet, from the most recent of battles, he wasn't strong.

Was that why Lucy wasn't summoning him lately? Loke had begun to notice the recent long periods of time he's spent in Spirit World. He could feel that Lucy had summoned other spirits. Did she really think of him being weaker than the rest? No, that wasn't it. Maybe when she tries to reach his key, it gets caught up in the other nine golden keys she keeps with her. But if that was the case, why had it happened like six to seven times?

Lucy couldn't think of him as weak. He knew that his master loved all of her spirits, and treated them fairly, This also meant respecting their contracts. He, out of all her spirits, had the least amount of non-summonable days, with his count being at zero. Loke wanted to be able to be summoned at any time to help his master. After all, that is what he has constantly promised to do. So wouldn't it be logical to have summoned him more often then, since he was available at any time?

Sometimes he began to wonder if he was just playing an act. Perhaps putting up a front to hide his weaknesses. Loke had shown himself as this strong pillar of strength to both those of the Spirit World and Earthland. Yet was he as powerful as he seemed? Was he really hiding himself away that much?

Loke felt a presence enter his room, dragging him out of his depressing thoughts. He didn't bother to sit up or turn around. His body ached and it hurt to move a little. How hard had these thugs hit him? Wasn't he supposed to have enhanced durability? Wasn't he supposed to be able to, ya know, take a hit? Not to mention, why didn't he feel up to speed yet? Nevertheless, the lion spirit had nothing to fear, since the presence that entered his room was another spirit.

Re-materializing in his room was the ram spirit herself, Aries. She looked completely fine, her white woolen dress clean and perfect as ever. When she first saw the lion spirit resting on his bed, back to her, she was beginning to think something was wrong with him. Usually he would be up and at it, greeting the ram spirit in a heartbeat. To see him in this state, this...this was definitely unusual.

"L...Leo?" she asked timidly.

He didn't answer her. Aries then looked over near his bed and saw something on his nightstand. A broken pair of glasses. How did those break? She then assumed that he was asleep.

"Leo?" Aries asked again, this time a little louder. Loke realized he was being called. Sometimes he forgot his name was Leo, since he was so used to being called Loke. Then, he began to move.

"Hrmmm…" he groaned. He realized he felt terrible.

"Ah! I'm sorry!" Aries said immediately, thinking he was mad at her for disturbing him. He began to sit up on his bed.

"No, it's alright Aries," Loke answered, now fully sitting up, but still had his back to her. He clenched his head a little, feeling the room spin. Man, were the lights always this bright? "You wanted to see me?" he asked.

"Oh yes!" she said. "Lucy is alright! I helped her out. We defeated the dark guild and she's safe. I...heard that you were defeated so I came to tell you. Ah! Bu..But you pro..probably already knew that! I'm sorry!" Aries stuttered at the last part.

Oh, so it was Aries she summoned. And it looks like everything had been taken care of. Wait a sec...how did she know already that he had been defeated?

Had news of his most recent return already spread through the Spirit World that fast? Now Loke felt humiliated. This was the sixth time this has happened since the time his master came back from Tenrou Island. No doubt if he came out of his house, there would be spirits out there who would question his most recent line of defeats. Aquarius especially. He swore the mermaid was coming after him for the title of "Leader."

Silence filled the room for a few minutes. Neither of the spirits spoke. Aries became worried. He was acting strangely. "Are you alright, Leo?" she asked. Then, she immediately took it back. "Ah! I'm sorry!"

Again, he didn't answer for a little bit. Loke thought about what to say. Then, he answered her.

"Aries, do you think I'm...weak?"

She looked up at him. Surprisingly, when he spoke, he didn't even turn around. What made him think of this? Aries never expected those words to come out of the lion spirit's mouth. She knew that he wasn't weak. Leo was the strongest of the twelve Zodiacs, right? Was he doubting himself?

"N...No!" Aries answered immediately. "I just...you're not weak! Why do you think you are weak? I'm sorry!"

She realized she shouldn't have asked that. But in reality, she did want to know. Did some sort of event happen to make him feel this way? She knew Leo as a spirit who was strong and powerful, fearless. For him to act this way was strange in her eyes.

"Lucy hasn't been summoning me lately," he answered her. She thought about it for a moment. Now that Aries thought about it, she as well as other spirits have been summoned more often than he was for a little bit.

"And my track record in fights has gone down. I've lost against six mages during the times I was summoned by Lucy. I haven't lasted five minutes in battle until I'm sent back again, because of injuries."

"Have I become weaker? It feels like I can't beat anyone anymore. Maybe I should give up the title of, "Leader of the Zodiacs" to someone else. I don't feel worthy of it." He sighed at the last part.

Aries couldn't believe what she was hearing. Of course, even she knew how much Leo loved their master. But now, he was beginning to feel like he was useless? Enough to get rid of his own title?

"Don't do that," Aries told him. That was when Leo the Lion finally turned his head to her. He had a questioning look on his face.

"Huh?" he asked.

"Spirit King gave you that title for a reason. You are the strongest out of all of us. He gave it to you because he knew that you deserved that title." She then regretted saying too much. "Ah! I'm sorry!"

A smirk formed on Loke's face. It made him feel a little bit better now. He stood up and got off his bed, now looking at her.

"Thank you Aries." He then smiled.

That was the Leo she knew. But then, he soon regretted standing up, as the world began to spin around him once more. The lion spirit staggered, now feeling the full effects of the fight. Aries gasped, now seeing his weakened state.

"Leo!" she cried out in fear.

Before he could hit the ground, she was able to grab him. Aries had to admit, he was very light. Was he always this thin? Then, she noticed that he was sweating a little. She put her hand to his forehead. He was burning up! Her eyes widened in fright. Spirits never got sick! Not like this anyway! She immediately got him into his bed. His hazel colored eyes were struggling to stay open.

"Ar...Aries?" he asked. He tried to keep his eyes open, but he could barely make out the worried expression on her face.

"I'll...I'll go get Spirit King!" she announced. "I'm sorry!"

The ram spirit disappeared in a pink puff of smoke. Spirit King coming here? That was the last person he wanted to see. He didn't want anyone to see him show weakness. Loke felt absolutely terrible. Soon, it was becoming hard to keep his eyes open, and he drifted off into unconsciousness.

The lion spirit woke up an hour later Spirit World time. He felt something draped on top of his forehead. A wet washcloth. His eyes then began to focus, and he saw 11 silhouettes. It was the other Zodiac spirits. Only, something felt off about them. Aries, Virgo, and Capricorn looked worried. The rest however, only gave him a glare. Even Aquarius was there, giving him a death glare.

"Ev...Everyone…?" He tried to speak out.

Then, one by one, they turned their backs to him, and vanished from his room. Even Aries, who looked slightly nervous, vanished once more in a pink puff of smoke. Eventually, the only one who was left was the blue mermaid herself. She turned her head in disgust at him.

"Tch!" Was all she said, her eyes not meeting his. Then, she proceeded to leave as well.

"Wait!" he called out to them.

But by that time, they were all long gone. The world around him suddenly went dark, and Loke found himself sitting up in his bed, trying to make sense of the situation. He put his hand to his forehead. The fever was gone. Unfortunately they had seen him in a time of weakness, he realized. Something that he did not want happening. Loke felt lonely again.

The lion spirit rubbed the washcloth against his face. He felt better now, no longer feeling any pain. But at the same time, he felt guilty of showing himself that way. What would they think of him now?

Loke needed some fresh air. Perhaps a visit to the guild was an order? They certainly knew how to cheer him up. And not to mention that he would be seeing Lucy again. His heart swelled in happiness at the thought of it. Spending time with his master. Maybe he could take her out to dinner? Yeah, that was a good idea. It probably would've been a few days since the fight had occurred.

He didn't hesitate to get out of his bed. Loke rushed to his closet to put on a new suit and other clothing. The one he was currently wearing he realized, was torn and dirty. He couldn't wear dirty clothes to a date. That would just be undignified of him. Now what to wear? Be casual or formal? Eh, go formal. Lucy would probably like him in nice clothing.

So Loke got out a clean, black suit coat, black pants, and a red-colored tie, along with a nice looking belt. He changed, now feeling better that the haggard clothing was off of him. The lion spirit rushed towards his mirror, looking into it so he could fix any imperfections in his choice of clothing for the night. So far so good. Lastly he decided to keep his mane of hair instead of switching to his human form. He just liked his spirit form better. Besides, it wasn't like there were a ton of Celestial Spirit mages running around, right?

He smiled at the way he looked. He looked cool, and he preferred it that way. If he wanted to impress Lucy, he had to make a good first impression, and clothing was the way to do it. The lion spirit grabbed a new pair of glasses. Sure he didn't need them, but those at Fairy Tail got used to him wearing them. With that, Loke departed from the Spirit World...and it probably the last time he would ever be there…

* * *

When he re-materialized in the guild, Loke had to duck his head, as there was an empty, oncoming beer mug flying straight towards him. Thankfully he evaded it in time, and none of the alcoholic drink got on him either. He glanced over his shoulder, trying to see where the owner of said beer mug was. Unfortunately he couldn't tell.

Another massive brawl was happening in the center of the guildhall once again. He wasn't surprised by the slightest when he saw at the center of it all was Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster. The two always seemed at odds with each other. And with them fighting, everyone would start fighting. He glanced over to his right, seeing the only few non-participants, who looked slightly disappointed at the sight in front of the. And one of them was Lucy. He walked over to her, putting his hand on her back, which startled her.

"Loke!" she exclaimed. He smiled at her. "How did you get here?"

"I came through my own gate for you, Princess," Loke answered.

Lucy almost rolled her eyes at the flirt. She had gotten used to it by this point. Well, since he was here, she might as well have him do something for her.

"Do you think you can stop the fight while you're here?" Lucy asked. He nodded, though he somewhat regretted it since he came here neatly dressed.

"Anything for you Princess," Loke promised.

With that, he jumped into the fray, trying to stop it like his master commanded him to do so. Lucy sighed, thankful that she had gotten away from his flirting. Mirajane came up behind her, as Lucy sat at the bar.

"It's been awhile since I've seen Loke here," she commented. Lucy then noticed her presence.

"Oh Mirajane!" Lucy greeted. The silver haired mage smiled at her. "But what do you mean by that?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Ever since he became your spirit, he's made himself scarce around the guild. Once in a while he'll come in on his own. I kinda miss him. He would always be around, flirting with every girl he sees. Not to mention he got into fights with Natsu a lot."

"Really?" Lucy questioned.

When she first entered the guild, her first impression of the lion spirit didn't seem like the type of guy who would fight. Then again, he did say to his troupe of girls that he would join the fray, which led Lucy to cross him off of her, "Potential boyfriends" list. Yet still, even now he didn't come off as the type of person who wanted to start a fight.

Mira nodded. "Oh yes, those two would often get into fights many times. Of course Natsu fought with Gray more often, but there was the occasional fight with Loke. And a lot of the times they were evenly matched."

Lucy never imagined Loke to be that powerful. Sure, he was the Leader of the Zodiacs, but to be on par with Natsu? That was a feat.

She glanced back towards the massive brawl, barely able to make out the silhouette of her lion spirit fighting everyone else. Then, to her horror, she saw his body fly out of the fray, and straight into one of the walls. Loke's eyes widened behind his glasses, which proceeded to fall off as he hit the wall. He felt the wind get knocked out of him. Then, his body hit the floor.

"Loke!" she shouted in fear.

The blonde mage immediately ran over to him. Wendy, who had been sitting near her and watching the brawl, saw what happened to the lion spirit, and ran over to help. Loke glanced up at Lucy, realizing that she was by his side.

"Lucy…" he trailed off. Everything hurt once again.

"Wendy, could you help Loke please?" the blonde mage asked.

The Sky Dragon Slayer nodded, now putting her magic to use. Loke could feel his bruises being healed, as well as the pain fading away. But that still didn't make him feel better. He didn't last long in that brawl. Usually he could last much, much longer, long enough to be the last one standing. Why had he been...so weak?

Just then, Erza had finished talking with the guild master, and came out of his office. Only to see a brawl occurring. She got angry in an instant. Couldn't they go at least one minute without having a fight? Her magic flared up, and her eyes were fueled with rage. So much so that some of the magic users could sense this, and back off. Not all of them however.

"What is going on here?!" she screamed.

A second past, and all of the mages in the fight stopped, terrified of the red-haired requip mage. Some muttered their apologies. Others, like Natsu and Gray, who had their fists in each other's face, swiftly went to try to mind their own business, even though they wanted to continue the fight. Then, one by one, they returned to where they were sitting.

Erza sighed, at least things looked semi-normal again. However, when she turned to look at the corner of the guild, she saw Loke lying on the floor, with Lucy and Wendy hovering over him. The blue-haired mage was using her magic to heal him. Erza ran over to them, trying to see if he was alright.

"What happened?" she asked. Lucy looked up at her.

"He just came into the guild. I asked him to stop the brawl, but…" She silently gestured to the spirit in front of her.

"I see…" Erza trailed off. She then noticed a charred mark on his clothing. A fiery punch to the gut. "Natsu…!" She angrily growled out in frustration. Erza then stood up and walked away, determined to punish the Fire Dragon Slayer.

Unfortunately Loke heard her comment. Natsu was the one who punched him out of the fray? He felt even worse now. Being beaten by some enemies was bad, but somehow, this felt even worse. Wasn't he on par with Natsu at one point? What happened to his strength?

"All done Loke!" Wendy exclaimed. He looked over at her. He didn't even realize she was done. At least he felt better.

"Thanks Wendy," Loke said to her. The blue haired girl smiled at him, and ran off to join her friends. Lucy however remained with him. The lion spirit tried to sit up, but his body ached.

"Here, let me help you," Lucy offered. Loke shook his head.

"No, I'm alright," he insisted.

But his features said otherwise. She reached for his hand, indicating that she wanted to help him up. With no real other choice, he took her hand, and she helped him up. Loke tried to balance himself, and eventually he stood up straight.

"Thanks," he said to her.

The two sat in silence for a moment. Then, Lucy spoke up.

"Umm, Loke?" She asked.

"Yes Lucy?" He answered her.

There was no flirt in his words or in his tone. He could've thrown one in there, but he chose not to. The lion spirit had a feeling what she was going to ask him about.

"When you said you came through your own gate for me, what did you mean by that?" Lucy spoke. Loke smirked at her, but at the same time he felt a little nervous. He never really went this far before. Would it go bad?

"Oh yes, well…" he trailed off. "Would you like to go out to dinner with me?"

Her eyes widened at his statement. Not only that, but she could tell he was serious. There was no flirt in that answer. There was no smooth talk. There was no image of "Loke the Playboy" in his words. The lion spirit was dead set on taking her out to dinner tonight. Lucy felt her heart pound. What was this feeling? But then...it stopped. She remembered. Lucy lowered her head.

"Loke, I can't."

His breath was caught in his throat. His pupils had gone to the size of slits. Loke hadn't expected this to happen.

"Why not?" He had to ask.

"I...I already promised Natsu that I would help him with a few things tonight." She didn't lift her head. Loke felt his heart tear in two.

"Oh…" he trailed off. Lucy saw through his distress.

"Bu..but maybe we could do it another time!" She mentioned. "Not tonight, but maybe during a time that's good for both of us." Loke nodded solemnly.

"Yeah…" was all he said. Then, he began to walk away from her. She lifted her head to see him go.

"Loke…" she whispered sadly. But he didn't hear her. Loke continued to walk on.

Somehow he felt even worse than when he was punched out of the fight minutes ago. Were Natsu and Lucy...together? No, that wasn't possible. She couldn't have loved Natsu! It just didn't feel right to him! Loke sighed sadly. He felt so lonely. Sometimes he wished that he was around Lucy more often. She had saved his life after all, and she helped him get through his worst times. Yet she didn't need him now. The thought of her not needing him made him feel worse.

Well, what else could he do while he was here? Hmm, he could talk to Gray. The two were pretty close friends during the time when he was exiled. It seemed like Gray understood his problems, even though he himself was a spirit and Gray was human. However the ice mage was still a good friend, so maybe he could talk to him about this.

But once he neared his table, he saw a familiar water mage clinging to his arm. Juvia, he realized.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia chimed. "Juvia loves when you fight! Especially without clothes!"

"Would you get off of me!" Gray shouted. "That's so creepy!"

Loke could only watch the awkward interaction between the two mages from afar. So much for hanging out with Gray tonight.

Maybe he could go by the bar and talk to Mirajane? She usually had his favorite drink in stock. Perhaps a drink was all he needed at the moment. It was worth a try. So he walked over to the bar, passing by Erza who was giving Natsu a good pummeling. The two mages didn't even seem to notice him. It was like Loke wasn't there to begin with. Then, he sat down, Mirajane smiling at him.

"Welcome back Loke!" She said. "What can I get for you?"

"Do you have my favorite, Mira?" He asked. Then, his thoughts went downhill as she shook her head.

"No," she answered. "We just ran out of it. Sorry Loke. Do you want anything else?"

He shook his head. "No, I'm fine," Then, the lion spirit left the bar.

Alright, maybe he needed some actual fresh air. This day wasn't going well in the slightest. He walked over to the exit, and opened the door. No one seemed to notice him leaving. Not even his master. Loke shook his head, and opened the door. Once he was outside, he closed the door behind him, walking out into the streets of Magnolia.

The lion spirit walked along the canal for a while. He lost track of time. But it didn't really matter to him. He could survive for another three years in Earthland if he wanted to. The night itself was cool and calm. There was no moon tonight, so the stars were out tonight. Loke didn't even realize it, but he was walking away from Magnolia.

Finally he let himself lie down on a grassy hill, finding himself staring up at the stars. He could identity all twelve of the zodiac, including his own. The constellation Leo. Leo the Lion. Here Loke was, back again trying to determine who he was. Was he really Leo the Lion, the Leader of the Zodiacs? Did humans know him and love him by the name of Loke?

The lion spirit sat up, staring at the great stars before him. He could make out the stars in his constellation, especially Regulus. His mind began to wander, which led to him begging the star to give him power.

'_O Regulus, I ask of you, show me who I really am!' _Loke silently pleaded. '_I wish...to be fearless, strong, like the lion…'_

The rest of his thoughts were cut off, as he felt a small prick against his neck. Loke reached to the back of his neck, and pulled something out. To his shock, it was a small dart. And before he could say anything else, the lion spirit couldn't move. He felt weak, like his magic had been drained. The upper half of his body fell to the earth once again. He felt woozy.

Loke tried to remain conscious, hoping that he could somehow contact Lucy. But it was no use. Whatever he was hit with made his mind fragmented, and he couldn't think straight. He began to slightly panic. How could he let something like this happen to him?

Then, he barely made out two silhouettes that were hovering over him. Two guys, it looked like.

"Ooooo, looks like we caught the big one!" the one one his left side said.

"The boss will be very happy," the one on his right said.

He couldn't move. He couldn't summon forth any magic. His body was practically shutting down. The world began to darken around him.

_'Lucy…' _Loke mentally called out one last time, hoping that she would hear him.

Then, he fell into darkness, the last thing he saw was the star of Regulus twinkling back to him. The lion spirit was unconscious.

Farther away from where he was, Lucy heard a voice calling out to her. She turned around, thinking it was Loke. But he wasn't there, so she continued on her way. Little did she know that she would regret it later on…

* * *

His hazel eyes opened slowly, now seeing the different environment around him. Loke could feel the change of environment. Where was he? It was cold, dark, and gloomy. Underneath him was what he could only describe as a stone floor. Was he underground? Then, Loke began to sit up, and he heard the clanging of something along the floor. He turned to the source, and gasped.

Chains. Long, golden chains were attached to his wrists and legs. Whoever had captured him really wanted to make him their prisoner. Well, not if he could help it. They probably had no idea who he was. Loke then focused, and began to perform a Return. However, when he opened his eyes, he realized nothing happened. He wasn't in the Spirit World. He remained in the chains.

"What?" he said.

Loke tried again, but nothing happened. He remained in the same position he was in. Why couldn't he leave? Hmm, maybe he could break the chains? Loke began to gather magic, however at the same time, he felt no magic gather. What was going on here?

Then, he realized that there was something on his neck. He reached for it, and found that it was a necklace. The string was brown, and the pendent itself was a star sign. His star sign. Maybe this was the reason he couldn't summon magic. Loke tried to take it off, but as soon as he touched the pendent, a surge of energy went throughout his entire body.

"Ahhhhhh!" Loke screamed out in pain.

The blue electrical shocks flowed through him. It then stopped, leading to him collapsing on the floor. His breathing became haggard, and he felt weak. Loke wanted to return home so he could heal. But something was holding him back.

"Hahahahaha!" a cynical laugh echoed throughout the place he was captured.

It was a woman's voice. His eyes widened in fear. It sounded so familiar to him. No, it couldn't be. He must be dreaming! Yes! He must still have a fever in the Celestial Spirit World and this was all a dream!

Loke heard footsteps approach him. He became nervous. Then, he saw a silhouette of someone opening the door to his room. The door opened. Loke gasped. Fear immediately spiked through his system, as well as shock. Shock from the fact that this person was standing in front of him!

"You can't escape me this time...**Leo.**"

"Karen!"

* * *

**Author's Note**

**That is the end of Chapter 1! Yee! Let's get into some stuff!**

**I don't know about any of you, but like after Grand Magic Games, it felt like Loke just got dropped for no reason. Maybe that's just me. Sure, he showed up in Tartaros for a bit, but then he just...disappeared. Like he'll show up like once in the next two arcs, and that's it. Lucy's spirits in general just don't show up anymore. Sure, she has the Star Dress, but still. Even in the sealing of Acnologia, they just...don't show up.**

**That's why I wanted to throw in that he hasn't been summoned lately and so forth. Also I really love Loke (doesn't help that I'm a Leo myself XD) and it kinda hurt that he just got dropped. He had a very good backstory, and probably could've had more character development and so on. Truth be told, I wanted to see more of the Loke when he was with Karen per say, serious, but still throw in the flirts.**

**That was one of the premises behind this story, as well as a few others you will find out later. This will be a Loke-centric story as you could probably tell. And maybe some Lolu later on down the line? Depends on how I go with this story. Definitely certain I'm not shipping Nalu, that's guaranteed. **

**Lastly, tell me what you guys think! I love reviews! They keep me going! And they let me know you guys enjoy this!**

**Arceus I wrote this in 3 days. That's probably the last time an idea is gonna come that fast XD **

**Anyways, Until Next Time, See Ya Universe!**

**Palkia**


	3. Claws of Deception

**Hello Universe! Palkia's back with Chapter 2! **

**Thank you everyone who favorited and followed this story. I really appreciate it, and it lets me know you guys really enjoy this story! **

**Now, let's go!**

**I do not own Fairy Tail.**

**Chapter 2**

**Claws of Deception**

Loke couldn't believe it. Heck, he didn't want to believe it. Standing right in front of him was a very much alive Karen Lilica. His former master. And not to mention a terrifying one at the most.

She wore the same outfit that he had last seen her in. Her eyes full of cynical hatred. Her smile wicked. All the looks of the tortuous master that he had once known. In her hand was a whip, one that Loke always remembered that she carried around with her, to punish spirits who didn't listen to her. It was like he was living a nightmare.

But how could this be? How could she be alive after all this time? For all the lion spirit knew, she had died three years ago, and that's all there was to it. He remembered being at the ruins, punching one of the statues in anger and sadness as he heard the news from Master Bob. The event that causes him to be banished from the Celestial Spirit World in the first place.

He even heard it from Angel herself how she killed the Celestial Spirit Mage and got a hold of Aries' key. Her key was proof that Karen had died, otherwise Karen wouldn't have given up something that valuable easily. Yes, Loke heard from Master Bob that she had tried to summon another spirit, yet it didn't feel right that she was still alive here and had completely forgotten about Aries.

"H...how?" Loke gasped out. "How did you survive!?"

Her smile only got wider as she approached him. The lion spirit stumbled back away from her, not wanting to try to make contact with her. She then stood a distance away from him.

"Isn't it obvious, Leo?" Karen inquired. "I faked my own death!"

Something wasn't right. How could she fake her own death if she was killed by Angel? He would've sensed her death if that was...Loke's eyes widened in realization. He never felt her death. When Master Bob came to tell him that Karen died, he had no idea. The lion spirit would've known by this if his master had died. So then, what happened between Angel and Karen?

"Why you…!" Loke got up and charged towards her, only to stumble as the chains pulled on his wrists and legs. He fell right in front of Karen, growling in frustration.

"You died! Master Bob told me you died! They erected a grave for you by the waterfalls!" Loke then heard his old master chuckle. He became confused at why she was laughing.

"Was it really Master Bob who told you?" Karen couldn't help but smirk. "Strange, I thought he was out at a meeting with the Council that day…"

No...she couldn't possibly… "That wasn't...the Master?" he questioned.

"Gemini," she simply answered. "Gemini's copy ability comes in real handy. Of course, they didn't want to cooperate with me, since they didn't trust me. It took a little...convincing, but they agreed. It came with a price tag, I had to give up little Aries' key for it. But, as you can see, it worked perfectly."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Did Gemini...really do this?

'_No...it couldn't be true!' _Loke thought.

Even though he was exiled for three years, once Lucy got Gemini's key, they never said anything about it. Did they help in getting him exile? That was impossible. No spirit wouldn't do that. But, they had to listen to their master. Still, they would've said something about it.

Another thought occurred to him. What if Gemini never told him, but told the other spirits? Were they planning on banishing him in the first place? Did...Aries know about this?

"It's not true!" Loke screamed out. "Gemini would never do such a thing!"

He didn't want to believe it. He really didn't. Loke didn't want to believe that his fellow spirits would betray him.

"I left that day to take a job, because _you _wouldn't return to the Spirit World!" Karen shouted.

In an instant, Loke felt a stinging sensation on his shoulder. His eyes widened, and he yelled out in pain. Karen had used her whip on him.

"For three months, I lost all of my money! All of my dignity! My fame and fortune! All because of you!"

"When I met Angel out on a job, she saw my struggle when I summoned Aries. She asked me about it. And then I told her about you. She understood completely. So we made a little deal. I would use Gemini to impersonate Master Bob, in order to tell you the news that I was long gone. In return, I gave her Aries' key, and I wiped myself out of the public eye."

"I knew that you would be exiled if you were somehow involved with the killing of your master. Aries didn't know, so she was spared. Pity, I wish she could've seen your pain. And I knew you wouldn't be able to tell it was Gemini because you had already used up your life force for three months! All just to try to spite me into giving up your contracts!"

"Not only did you disobey me, but you went out and found yourself another master! You never realized that our own contract never broke, did you!?" Loke was shaking now. If Karen had never died, then that meant his contract with her never broke. So what did that mean? Did he have two contracts with two different masters? The thought was unheard of in the Spirit World. A spirit was tied to a master. But Lucy had his key, and Karen didn't right?

"Lucy is my only master!" he affirmed at Karen.

"Ah, so that is her name, isn't it?" she asked. Loke mentally cursed. He shouldn't have said that.

"How was your time in the human world?" she asked, a smirk on her face. "Three years? I thought you wouldn't last longer than that. You were already suffering by that point. Tell me; how was your life as a human, _Loke?_"

"I'll never tell you!" Loke growled, but he was still nervous. How exactly had she gotten that name? "I will never tell you anything!"

Karen shook her head and chuckled. "Huh?" Loke wondered aloud.

"You're such a clueless lion, aren't you?" she taunted. "I'll get the answers out of you, one day." The lion spirit tried to once again to perform a Return. But he still couldn't leave.

"And don't think about running away from me. Those chains around you keep you in place, restricting the amount of magic you can use. And, that necklace? It is the only thing that can keep you here in this world."

"Some special spells have been added to it. You will not be able to return to the Celestial Spirit World by any means. Your connection with that, 'Lucy,' has been cut off whether you like it or not. And, you will be unable to contact any other spirits so long as that thing is on you."

Loke looked down at the pendent, and tried desperately to take it off. Once again, he was met with another shock. "Ahhhhh!" he screamed, trying to hold it all in. The lion spirit fell to the ground, his clothes slightly charred.

"One more thing. You won't be able to take it off, and I'm certainly not telling you how to be free of it. Not when you decided to go against me." Karen added.

"K...Karrreennn!" he growled. Loke then stopped himself. He realized that the growl sounded more animalistic. She could only smirk at him.

"This is your punishment, Leo," Karen began. "For disobeying me, for having two masters, and for putting my life in danger!"

She began to walk away from him and instead towards the door. Loke readjusted his glasses, and with all the force he could muster, the lion spirit ran at her. But he was stopped when the chains' length ran out, and he was held in place.

"I'll find a way out of here!" he promised. His face was full of anger and hatred towards his former master. Loke reached against the chains' limit, trying to reach her, like a lion trying to claw at its prey.

"And when I do, you'll find out why you don't mess with Fairy Tail!" He bared his teeth at her, a murderous rage flowing through his system.

"If they can ever find you!" Karen added cynically.

With that, she closed the door behind her, slamming it. The sound echoed throughout the cell. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't see her walk away. Loke relaxed, now knowing that she was gone. His body slumped to the stone cold floor, which now ached from the whip she used on him.

So much had happened. In his opinion, too much had happened in that short time span. Loke couldn't do anything except take in the information and the pain. Was Karen lying to him? Surely Gemini would never do anything like that to him. The lion spirit didn't talk that much to the pair of twins, but he was most certainly on good terms with them.

Although, when he looked back on it, they did seem awfully nervous around him for no reason ever since Lucy obtained their key. It was never like that to begin with. They knew who he was, and Loke wasn't the type of person to go out and give punishment. Oh Virgo would be dreaming of that day when it happened.

There was also the thing that Angel looked slightly surprised to see Loke when they fought each other. He had never met the woman nor had he ever been contracted with her in his entire lifespan. Sure, she could've been surprised to see the leader of the Zodiacs contracted with Lucy, but there still seemed to be something off about it.

The lion spirit silently began to beg that it wasn't true. He didn't want it to be true. Gemini doesn't usually act on their own. It takes outside influence in order for them to make a choice. And Loke knew that Gemini wouldn't just take advice from their master. Someone had to have influenced their decision further. But who? Unfortunately that who was most likely a Celestial Spirit.

He felt his soul tear in two at the thought of his own friends, his literal family, would do anything to go against him. Loke has always been the leader, and a well respected one at that. They loved him like an older brother in the Spirit World. Why would someone go far enough to get him killed? Did they actually care about him?

Oh boy, if the Spirit King heard anything about this, Loke could bet on the King's mustache that the Spirit World would be in literal chaos. They would probably all be at war with each other. Those who supported him, and those who...Loke didn't want to think of the last part.

He felt so lonely for once in his life. In Fairy Tail, Loke used to have a group of girls around him all the time, making him feel less lonely. Even his friends Gray, Natsu, and Erza on some occasions knew how he felt and he enjoyed their company. It made him feel better over the fact that he had a death sentence over his head.

But today...today was probably one of, if not the worst days of his life. Loke felt as if all of his friends and family abandoned him, got rid of him to be captured by his old master. They wouldn't know where he was either, since he couldn't communicate with them. If only his master, Lucy, was here now. Loke wanted to be with her. Not in this place. He wanted to be loved is all he asked.

No, that was what Karen wanted him to think. She wanted him to think that they abandoned him. He couldn't do anything about his own location. Loke just had to believe that his friends would find him. Wherever the heck he was. Then, once they found him, he would talk to Gemini, and get this whole mess straightened out. The lion spirit had to believe that Karen was lying to him.

At least he knew why she was doing this in the first place. Karen wanted to punish him for those three months of rebelling against her, and not to mention the three years he spent away from her, going out and finding another master. Loke knew he was the best out of Karen's old spirits that could take her punishments the best.

With anything she said to him, with anything she threw at him, Loke silently promised himself that he wouldn't break. He wouldn't show any kind of submission to her. After all, she didn't have any zodiac keys left, so she couldn't bargain with him about abusing Aries to her own will.

Yes, he could survive. He's survived in Earthland for three years with excruciating pain and suffering, how hard could it be?

* * *

Aries had just brought the Spirit King to Leo's home, only to find that he was gone. How Leo left in the condition that Aries saw him in surprised her. Even the Spirit King was impressed by what the ram spirit told him. Spirits never contracted illness. For Leo to have a fever was unheard of.

"Leo has returned to the human realm," the Spirit King noted, as he didn't sense his energy anywhere in the Spirit World. Aries didn't say anything for a moment. The Spirit King looked at her.

"Are you worried about Leo?" he asked.

She nodded, looking away from the king. "Leo is capable of handling himself. He has our old friend by his side. And she knows what is best for him."

She nodded, trusting the King's words. Still, there was something that still made her worry for him. Was it because of what Leo said earlier? Aries began to contemplate whether or not it was a good time to tell him about the lion spirit. She was beginning to think it was. What Leo was thinking about was hurting him, both physically and mentally. She had to say something.

"Umm...Spirit King?" She asked timidly. He looked down at her.

"Yes Aries?" The king answered.

"Umm...when I was speaking with Leo earlier, he asked me if he was…" Aries trailed off, the thought of what she was going to say made her nervous. "I'm sorry!" She said. The Spirit King just knew that whatever the ram spirit was going to tell him would be important.

"Go on Aries, you can tell me," he said.

"L..Leo asked me if he was weak."

He nearly choked on that. Leo thought of himself as weak? Why? "He asked you this?" The Spirit King stated.

Aries could only nod as she looked away from him. "Did he say anything else to you?" He continued.

"He said that Lucy hasn't been summoning him lately. But when she has, Leo says that he loses his fight. Then, he said that he didn't deserve the title of, 'Leader.'"

Aries regretted what she said, as she had probably leaked out too much personal information about the lion spirit. "Ah! I'm sorry!"

"Aries, there is no need to be sorry," he reassured her. "If you had not told me, then I would have never known that Leo thought about himself this way. Hmm."

The Spirit King turned away from the ram spirit, now deep in thought in what to do. This was certainly a new experience for him in all Celestial history. The king felt sorry for the poor lion spirit. Perhaps the demons of the past were never put to rest.

"I feel pity on Leo," the king continued. "He has been through so much these past years in particular. I should have realized then that he only did what he did to protect you. For this, I have failed."

"Now, it feels as if I am failing him once again. Leo no longer thinks highly of himself, and instead thinks of himself as weak. For this, I blame myself, for I could have done a better job of taking care of him."

"Perhaps it was the pressure of being the first of the zodiacs that overwhelmed him. I gave him that position because I felt that he was the right fit for it. Leo is the only one who could handle that position. None of you could hold it. This is true, is it not?"

Aries nodded her head. She knew that it would be impossible for herself to lead the zodiacs. The ram spirit was just too timid. And just as it was impossible for her to lead, so it was for the rest of the zodiacs. Leo was smart and cunning, as well as quick on his feet. For him to not be chosen as the leader would've been a mistake.

"I shall speak with him when he returns," the king mused to himself. "There must be some reason as to why he thinks of himself this way." He then turned to Aries.

"Please, let me know when Leo returns." She nodded. Then, he left. The ram spirit stood in silence, nervous about what was going to happen next.

Maybe he just needed some cheering up, that's all. Aries suddenly had an idea. Lucy did do a good job on Tenrou. Leo did a good job as well, since he helped out his partner, Gray. Perhaps a congratulations was an order? Virgo and herself could help cook the food.

Aries ran off to find the other spirits. They could put this together in no time. It will be a surprise for both Lucy and Leo. They could invite the others as well. Hmm, it could be a party, with a dance and food and everything. Just as long as they remembered the time difference.

Soon enough, all of Lucy's spirits knew of the surprise party. They began to prepare everything, from food, to clothing that those who weren't a spirit to begin with would need in order to survive in the Spirit World. Spirits couldn't survive in Earthland and the same was true for humans in the Spirit World. However, unlike spirits, humans could wear special clothing that allowed them to remain in the Spirit Word for an extended time.

Now with Lucy's spirits all in agreement on the surprise party, the next thing to do was to inform the king about it. Aries went to him, since she came up with the idea of it. He didn't expect her to come to him so soon. Usually she was very shy around him.

"Umm, Spirit King," She began. "The other spirits and I...Umm, we wanted to throw a surprise party for Lucy, be...because she did a good job during the S-Class trials, and...for Leo, to...cheer him up. I'm sorry!" Aries stuttered as she spoke to him. She didn't know whether or not he would accept the idea.

However, to her surprise, a smile widened on his face under his big moustache. "Hmm, I believe our old friend does deserve a congratulations. And Leo does indeed need a party. Perhaps the fact of our old friend attending may lift his spirits. I am in agreement with you Aries. We shall have this party for our old friend. And she may bring whoever she wants with her."

Aries was excited, but very nervous to show it. "Tha...thank you Spirit King! Ah! I'm sorry!" She said, and immediately scuffled away from him as fast as she could.

The king nearly laughed at the sight. He knew that the ram spirit cared for Leo deeply, especially since the incident with their old master occurred. And the idea of a party would help cheer up the lion spirit.

A party that the heavens would rejoice in. Yes, the Spirit King liked the sound of that.

* * *

It had been a few days since his capture. Karen didn't come into his cell since her first appearance. In fact, no one came to cell. No one came to give him food or water, or even information about what was going to happen next. Not that he needed food to begin with, but he was so used to having food that he needed it.

Loke sighed, looking down at the chains and necklace around his neck. He never felt so alone before. He couldn't remember the last time he had been so isolated. Most of the time when he was with Karen, she would visit him frequently, trying to get him to go back to the Spirit World, as she couldn't summon another spirit. Even during his exile, there would be a troupe of girls following him around, even in the beginning when he wasn't even trying to attract girls. Curse him and his good looks.

That got him into a never ending spiral. Not that he didn't like girls, he just did it so he could ignore the pain and suffering of his life force being drained from him. Loke never went far with them either, maybe a kiss or two and some flirts, but nothing farther than that. Otherwise the Spirit King would probably punish him more than he probably was.

When it came to Lucy, Loke felt something...different. He felt real love, not the fake love that he experienced around his multiple "girlfriends." The lion spirit tried over and over again to show his love to her, but sometimes he couldn't help but think that it was no use. Maybe it was a bit too much? Well, a light in the sky saying, "I Love Lucy," was probably excessive.

His mind began to wander, thinking about why he was here to begin with. '_What is she planning on doing with me?' _Loke wondered.

There really wasn't much Karen could do with him. As a combat spirit, he was used to taking a lot of pain. The lion spirit had taken a ton of hits over the years. And even then, guessing that he still had some of his magic, he would most likely heal from the experience, since he wasn't losing his magic either. So physically he should be fine.

Mentally, Loke wasn't sure. It wasn't Karen's style to inflict damage in a mental way. He knew her long enough to know that she wouldn't do stuff like that. Karen was a sadistic person, almost like Virgo, but instead asking for pain, she gives physical pain. This happened with Aries so many times. She would come home with bruises all over her body. And this definitely ticked him off.

He heard the door to his cell open, and in came one of Karen's lackeys. This one was different from the ones who captured him a few nights ago. He was a handsome man, not as handsome as Loke, but the lion could tell why Karen chose him to work for her. In his time of exile, he practically mimicked Karen's style, but she had a troupe of boys instead. He wore white colored clothes, almost like he appeared to be some sort of scientist, and had short, bright blonde hair.

"Good morning Leo," he said calmly. There was no hint of emotion in his words, only a monotone sound. "My name is Joseph. You could say that I'm the head of Lady Karen's scientific division."

'_Scientific...division?' _Loke thought.

Since when did his former master had the time to form a group of scientists? And a division? How many divisions were there? Not to mention that this guy looked young!

Joseph saw the confused look on the spirit's face. "Are you confused Leo?" he began. "I would be too if I were in your position. Shame that I'm not."

Loke gritted his teeth in frustration. He didn't like where this was going.

"Well then, allow me to enlighten you about what you have missed out on during these three years."

"When Lady Karen left you, she couldn't take any jobs, since you would know about her. So she went underground, making money through different means. Lady Karen often went under false names in order to obtain the money she lost from those three months you were in our world. You may not realize it now, but she is very rich as of this moment."

He walked closer to Loke, his right hand behind his back, like he was concealing something. "You have something to say, don't you? Or you like the cat you are and have your tongue withheld?"

"Why are you here?" Loke asked sternly.

"Ah yes," Joseph continued. "You want to know why I'm here, visiting your cell? As it turns out, Lady Karen is being generous to you and allowing me to give you food."

Ah, food! Finally! Loke nodded, but he didn't say anything. He expected the worst to happen. The food could be poisoned, but poison couldn't kill him. But this man couldn't have just come here to tell him this right? There had to be more to it.

"You didn't just come here to tell me that, did you?" Loke asked.

"You are smarter than you look, Leo," Joseph said. "Yes, I didn't just come here to tell you that. In fact there's a catch when it comes to your food." He strode closer to him. "You see, we aren't sure what type of food spirits eat. Human food could just go right through them after all. And we wouldn't want that would we?"

Loke didn't say anything. The lion spirit was starting to become a little nervous about the way this guy was speaking to him. It was like he was a doctor to him. Nevertheless, he kept the current look on his face, trying to see where this "Joseph" was going with the conversation.

"When you were unconscious, I was able to take a test of your DNA," he began. "My, is your blood interesting compared to the rest of the spirits."

Now Loke was actually nervous about this. How in the world did Joseph get the DNA of the other spirits?

"Do not ask me how I got samples from them. Lady Karen just gave them to me," he said.

"But did you know that, compared to the other zodiacs, you are over seventy five percent animal? I was in shock. With these results, I expected you to have even more attributes to what you really are. And I am even more surprised that some of the other spirits aren't like this, especially your friend Capricorn…"

"What do you know about them!?" Loke shouted. Joseph chuckled in amusement.

"Oh, I've studied spirits for a long time," Joseph answered. "Your friend Capricorn, who looks more like a goat than human, is actually only fifty percent goat and fifty percent human. Quite a surprise.

"Your little girl Aries is only twenty five percent ram. The same goes with Cancer. Sagittarius is even way less than that. Pisces is fifty-fifty, the same goes for Ophiuchus and Taurus, Virgo and Libra have no alternate, and Scorpio and Aquarius are only twenty percent. Gemini, well I'm not sure how to explain them, but they do have more human in them than you do. Leaving you with over seventy five percent."

"I never expected you to have this genetic makeup. Out of all the spirits, you are the least like your genetic counterpart Leo. No one would be able to tell that you're the great celestial lion of the heavens. All of the other zodiacs have some distinguishable feature. But you...you don't have anything except that hair."

"So what's that supposed to mean?" He questioned. "Just because I don't look like a lion doesn't matter that much to me!" The man in front of him chuckled ominously.

"It does indeed matter to you," he continued. "Even if you don't look the part, you still retain something that the other spirits don't have; instinct. They don't have this because their genetic makeup doesn't surpass fifty percent in the animal category."

"What does it mean? It means that you still have all of a lion's instincts. The need to protect. The need to put those out of line in their place when there isn't any order. And, the need to hunt."

Joseph snapped his fingers, and the door to the cell opened. Two men walked in, carrying a large crate between them. They placed it near Loke, and as he had heightened senses, he could smell the contents inside the box. Food, most likely, and it smelled good.

"You asked me why I came here yes?" Joseph said. "I didn't just come here to give you food. I came here to..._strengthen _those instincts of yours."

He pulled a needle out from behind his back, which he held in his right hand. Loke stood up immediately, now getting into a battle stance. Even with those chains around his wrists and legs, he could still fight.

Loke charged at Joseph, ready to punch him in the face. However, as soon as he reached him, the man disappeared. Then, Loke felt a slight prick on his left arm. He turned and his eyes widened. Somehow Joseph managed to get the needle in his arm. He backed away, expression frantic as he began to wonder what sort of contents were in the needle.

His head began to hurt, as foreign sensations were felt all around his body. "Ahhhhhh!" Loke screamed out in pain, trying to fight whatever it was that was making him feel this way.

"Do not try to fight it," Joseph said. "I'm just helping you become what you really are. You should be grateful." Then, he turned towards the two men carrying the box. "Set it down! Then run for your life!"

The two did as he told them, and they put the box on the floor. Loke couldn't see the contents, as there was a cover on the box, but for some reason, it smelled so good. The men carrying the crate saw a look in the lion spirit's eyes that told them to leave the cell immediately, to which they did. Joseph stepped away from Loke, a look of interest and amusement rising on his face.

Loke's eyes became slits, almost cat-like. He hadn't eaten anything for a few days. The smell of whatever was in that box overtook him. He wanted it. He needed it. A very low, animalistic growl formed from his throat, like a lion signaling the fact that he had found his prey. Loke gritted his teeth, some of which were sharp, like fangs. On his hands grew small, little claws. His hair was becoming more ragged and untamed than it usually was. He couldn't think. All that was there was pure instinct.

'_Food...need...now…' _was all his mind processed.

Joseph began to walk out of the room. From there, he closed the door behind him, and watched the scene from a little viewing window in the door. This was going even better than he expected. He could sense the resistance that the lion spirit was exhibiting.

'_Not even you can escape the feel of primal instinct,' _he thought. '_You might be a spirit, but even spirits have their weaknesses. But yours is the most entertaining…' _

Loke crouched down to the ground on all fours, which felt foreign to him at first but became familiar. He was like a lion stalking his prey, remaining quiet so it wouldn't catch his attention. Another low growl resonated from within his throat. His eyes, still hazel colored but now more cat-like, focused intensely on the target in front of him.

He pounced.

The lion spirit soared through the air, higher than any normal human could jump. He landed on top of the box, small claws tearing into it. Loke scratched at it, desperately trying to open it. Then, he finally managed to open it, spilling the contents onto the ground. He smirked viciously, now proud of himself for getting it open. His mind was clouded, only being focused on one thing, food.

He sunk his teeth into the delicious meal in front of him, tearing it into pieces like a wild animal. Loke was clearly enjoying it, his hazel eyes wild with glee and satisfaction as he gouged down the contents. Joseph watched the scene from the outside with wonder, as he wrote down the events from his point of view. This was going way better than he anticipated. Who knew that such a calm and composed spirit had this much of his wild instinct in him?

Then, something clicked in the back of Loke's mind, and his cat-like pupils became normal. The trance he was in had just been broken. He could smell whatever it was he had sunk his teeth into, and realized that it was no longer as appetizing as it appeared. Speaking of which, Loke then looked in horror at the thing he was consuming.

Raw meat.

He spit out the contents that were in his mouth, now gagging and trying to throw up any of the material that was in his stomach. Loke couldn't die from food poisoning, but that didn't mean that he didn't want to consume it. Without a good amount of magic to protect him from this, the last thing the lion spirit wanted was to be sick in this place.

Finally the raw meat that he had consumed exited his system, and the exhausted spirit was lying on the ground away from the half eaten contents. He was disgusted at the fact that he actually ate raw meat! And he enjoyed it too! Just what had that Joseph done to him?

Loke's hazel colored eyes widened in realization. The scientist had said that he came here to "heighten his instincts," to say the least. Then that meant...Loke looked over at the raw meat that was still in the box, untouched by him. The faint smell of the meat reached his nose, and he had to put in some strength in order to ignore the delicious smell.

He was scared. Oh he was very scared. Seventy five percent of his genetic counterpart? That meant he was...Loke grimaced at the thought. It meant that he was more lion than human in the first place. Yet he didn't look it and didn't act like one either. Loke looked down at his hands, and saw that the very tips of them became sharp. He gasped, now scared at the appearance of them.

"Oh don't worry," he heard a voice echo throughout the cell.

The lion spirit looked around, not seeing him anywhere. Then, Loke noticed in the corner of the room by the ceiling was a small speaker, and above it, a camera. Joseph was spying on him from outside his cell.

"The effect should wear off soon. For now, just enjoy your meal. I'm sure Lady Karen will praise you for eating it all. Just look at yourself in the mirror! You should be proud!"

Loke heard the click of the speaker going off. Look at yourself in the mirror? What did that mean? Then, in one area of the room, was a mirror attached to the wall. Curious, he walked over to it. The room was dark, so in order to see himself, he used whatever Regulus magic that the chains would allow him to use. The spirit clenched his fist, and focused.

"Lion Brilliance!" he shouted.

In a second, the entire room was brightened by light, only it wasn't blinding like it usually was. Instead, it was a soft glow. Loke didn't know this, so he closed his eyes. Lion Brilliance was usually more powerful than this, but the golden chains restricted access to his magic. Then, he opened his eyes and looked in the mirror.

"Gah!" Loke stumbled to the ground.

Sweat trailed down his forehead. His breath quickened, and his heartbeat ran fast. Loke thought he was never scared of anything. He, as well as everyone thought that he was the fearless and courageous lion. Earlier, Loke doubted himself for being fearless. Now, he knew that he himself wasn't fearless.

For standing in the mirror wasn't him. Loke saw a person with wild and untamed mane of hair. His clothes were tearing a little, as the person in the mirror was taller, more muscular looking. The hands of the person were growing golden fur, and long, sharp claws replaced fingernails. A muzzle formed on the person's face, now showing a small, cat-like nose and a few whiskers. The eyes glowed hazel in the light, like cats' eyes in the darkness.

That person was Loke. But Loke didn't want to believe it was him. That person in the mirror wasn't him.

It was a monster.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**That is the end of Chapter 2! Yee!**

**When I first got into Fairy Tail and I first heard about the spirits, I was so excited about seeing Leo the Lion. Then I was surprised that he didn't look like a lion at all. Not that I don't like Loke's design, I love it, but I thought he would have something else that would show that he was Leo the Lion besides the head of hair. And so here comes this idea!**

**I'm not going to go more graphic than this probably. There might be one chapter later on, but nothing more than this. I don't want to go into the M territory, so I'll keep it at a minimum. **

**I don't know, there's always been this theory floating around my head about how Karen faked her death. Shouldn't spirits know if their master died? Like Loke could feel if Lucy was in danger. So why did Master Bob have to come to Loke to tell him about this? **

**Lastly, what do you guys think? Good? Bad? Decent? I love reviews! It keeps me going and lets me know you guys enjoy this!**

**Until Next Time, See Ya Universe!**

**Palkia**


	4. Claws of Tactics

**Author's Note**

**Hello Universe! Palkia's back with Chapter 3! Yee! Thank you everyone who favorited and followed this story! It means a lot to me! Alright, let's get right into it!**

**I do not own Fairy Tail.**

**Chapter 3 **

**Claws of Tactics**

Days had passed by, and before Karen even knew it, it had already been a week ever since Leo the Lion had fallen into her hands. Oh how she waited for that moment to see him again. To see the pain and agony on his face once more. Karen hated him with a burning passion. She wanted to make him suffer.

Karen had to wait seven more years for it to happen, but she managed to play her cards right. The mage researched everything she could about the guild he joined. The members, little bits and pieces of details, etc. All of this just to find him. It wasn't like he could hide himself from her forever. For all the lion spirit knew, she was dead and nothing could change that.

Ten years ago, the former Celestial mage had this all planned. She would fake her own death, and by some off chance, Leo would be exiled from the Spirit World. That is, if he didn't sense her death to begin with. Sending Gemini to impersonate Master Bob was certainly a good idea, but Karen needed more than that in order for him to believe it. She took advantage of the fact that he was in a constant state of agony. And it worked precisely.

Even she knew that time in Earthland for Spirits was especially fatal if they stayed long enough. Under certain conditions, like the ones she restrained Leo with as of this moment, a spirit could stay in Earthland for as long as they liked. Of course, this really only applied to the lion spirit himself, since only one necklace was made for that purpose.

Once she knew that spirits could die from staying in Earthland for too long, Karen just had to find a way for Leo to be subjected to it. Then she learned of the rules of the Spirit World. The most prominent one being to never kill your master, whether it be directly or indirectly. To do such a thing would mean banishment from the Spirit World. Karen had her answer, and she executed it.

Of course, the mage couldn't predict how long the lion spirit could survive in Eathland. Aries she knew, could only last approximately seven days. At that point, Leo had lasted more than three months and counting. So it was safe to assume that he could at least last a year or two. At the time, she didn't care. As long as he died, that was all that mattered.

Three years had passed then. By this point, Karen assumed that he was dead. She had begun building up her underground operations by that point. Karen was still considered a mage, she just couldn't use Celestial Spirit Magic, as that would drop too much of an obvious clue that she was alive. Things seemed to get back to the point where she had more than enough money than she had years back.

Then everything went down one day.

**"****Laxus Dreyer challenges the entire Fairy Tail guild to a battle tournament." **She read the headline one afternoon. "**The entire town was engulfed in chaos as members of the guild were forced to fight each other. Electric-filled lacrima floated above Magnolia, the Thunder Palace would've rained down bolts of electricity onto the unsuspecting people below."**

"**Thanks to the effort of some heroic mages, the entire event was stopped. Magnolia has been returned to a peaceful state. This does not affect the festival happening later on tonight." **Karen wasn't interested in the headline. It was the pictures from the event that caught her attention. And one of them made her hatred rise from within her.

A spectator had managed to get a picture of a Celestial Spirit Mage fighting one of what the newspaper called Laxus' lackeys. Bickslow he was called, was a friend of Laxus, and had trapped the spirit mage. Her was named Lucy Heartfilia, a last name she had heard before. Layla was renowned among the Celestial Mage community, and Karen wasn't surprised that her daughter took up the same profession.

But it was who was right next to the blonde-haired mage infuriated her. A ginger-haired man who looked about in his late teen years. He was dressed in a black suit, white buttoned shirt, and a red tie. The only difference she could recognize were the glasses on his face. But she knew who it was nonetheless. Leo the Lion was alive.

"How is he still alive?!" Karen slammed her fist down on the table in pure hatred. She saw his key right next to five other golden ones just like it. It appeared that this Lucy was no ordinary Celestial Spirit Mage. "He should've died by now!"

Karen was furious. She wanted him dead. Gone. Never to be seen in existence again.

Not only that, but their contract was never broken. Karen's contract with the lion spirit was still there, as she didn't actually die, and they never came to an agreement to break it. So did that mean Leo now had a new master and she wasn't his master? Did he have two masters then? She knew their contract was intact. Yet still, if Leo had a contract with Lucy, that meant two contracts, and two masters. Yes, she didn't have his key, but it was still there.

The glass in her hand nearly shattered from the sheer force of her clenched hand around it. Karen needed another way to kill him. No, killing him by this point would be too suspicious. Besides, how long had he lasted in this world anyway? She researched and researched, looking up more information about Lucy Heartifilia, and she came across some photos of her. That was when she noticed her keys. July thirty-first, the day Phantom Lord attacked Fairy Tail. Leo's key was not among them. Then she looked at later pictures. August, perhaps in the middle of it, Karen realized. That was when she got his key.

He had lasted three years. Three, long years. Longer than any spirit was known to survive in Earthland. It surprised her, but it made it more difficult nonetheless. Having him go missing for three years wouldn't be the best option. After all, she couldn't wait that long. Karen wanted to see him suffer immediately.

But how? As far as the former celestial spirit mage knew, the lion spirit was very resilient when it came to pain. Karen owned his key for a while, and she knew that Leo could take it very well. Well he did last three years in pain and agony. So physical torture wouldn't work out too well. She began to think. Then, an idea struck her.

If she couldn't hurt him physically, when what about mentally? Karen would have to do her research on what Leo was doing for the past three years. It wouldn't be that hard to find any data on him. Yes, this could work. If she played her cards right, the lion spirit would play right into her hands. And she could do whatever she wanted.

So Karen spent those few weeks looking and browsing through sources, trying to find any hints about what Leo the Lion has been doing for the past three years. It was then she stumbled upon the list of Fairy Tail mages. And wouldn't you know it, but one of them happened to include a ginger haired man in glasses. Known as the Playboy of Fairy Tail, Loke.

Now it made sense on how he was saved. Lucy joined Fairy Tail, and since she was a Celestial Spirit Mage, she could tell not long after that he was a spirit, and thus saved him. Imagining the blonde-haired girl managing to convince the Spirit King to pardon Leo seemed nearly impossible. But then again, she was a Heartifilia, with a bunch of golden keys to boot. It should've come off as no surprise that Lucy possibly made friends with him already.

And a playboy huh? Karen thought he would never copy her own tactics.

Thus, the planning began. An unknown area outside Fiore, even outside Ishgar itself, was prepared to hold the leader of the Zodiacs himself. With all the underground money (and not to mention her good looks) she had obtained over the years, Karen was able to hire a team that could study Celestial Spirits biologically. That was when she came across Joseph, a young man who just so happened to be studying them, and boy did he look good.

It was through him that she began to learn the true nature of Leo the Lion. Spirits for the most part (except the ones who are entirely human) all have some sort of alternative genetic code in them that frankly makes them look less human. No one knows why or how, but it's just there. Of course, Karen knew that Aries had some ram in her, but to see the amount of lion Leo had was just...shocking.

"Seventy-five percent?" She asked. "He doesn't even look remotely close to whatever a lion looks like."

Joseph sat at a table over a computer, with herself standing behind him, overlooking the results. In truth, Karen had never seen a lion in her life. They weren't native to this area. All she heard about were the legends. Then he turned his chair to her, brushing away his short blonde hair.

"I was surprised as well, when I first looked into it. From your description Lady Karen, Leo looks like a human. Of course, he isn't human to begin with, since he is a spirit. But to not have any physical traits shocks me. Leo must have at least retained something," he sighed, the exhaustion of his research overtaking him.

"What is his personality? His skills?" Joseph asked.

"Stubborn beyond compare," she answered. It was meant to be sarcastic. Then she answered him again.

"I'm not too sure," Karen answered. "He was always the protective one, the Leader of the Zodiacs at least. I told you about him already. You should know."

Joseph hummed in response, thinking it over. He had studied many animals, with lions being some of the most elusive since they weren't native.

The young man began typing on his computer, trying to find a specific piece of research he had developed over the few years since he had become a biologist. Animalia, Chordata, Carnivora, Felidae, Panthera, ah there it was. _Panthera leo. _Otherwise known as "Lion." There were files upon files of information. Diet. Habitat. Behavior, bingo.

"It would seem that while he doesn't look like a lion," Joseph continued. "He most certainly has the instincts of one. To a degree, since we don't see him going around killing the nearest livestock. The protectiveness has been a staple, as male lions are rulers of their own pride and thus are protectors of the young. Leo has seemed to take on your approach and style, but he's doing it with women, meaning he's potentially looking for a mate. That is also common in lions when they come of age. So he does retain something in his heritage. What to do with it is the question."

That was when the idea came to her. If she truly wanted to hurt him, then what better way than this? Karen smirked, a hint of victory and triumph coming across her face.

"I want you to mess with it," she affirmed. "Do whatever you can. I want him to realize the consequences of leaving me, and that he doesn't have as much free will as he thought he would."

Joseph put his hand under his chin and began to thin for a moment, then eyed Karen.

"I will do it. However, it'll take me at least a month or two to come up with something that is usable to our advantage. A drug perhaps, one that could help rebuild his genetic structure and give him more genetic traits of a lion. I'll have to consult some of my co-workers, and obtain the magic for it. This'll take time, so you have to understand that we can't go after him immediately."

"I know. I've waited three years for this moment. And I don't need it to be ruined by that pathetic excuse for a spirit."

She grimaced at the thought. Failure meant death, as the Celestial Spirit King would most definitely execute her for torturing the Leader of the Zodiacs. Especially after three years of banishment. This couldn't fail at any cost.

"If I have to wait another month or two, then so be it!" Karen vowed.

She walked out of the room, now confident in the knowledge she had learned and would put to use. Joseph then went back to work on his computer. Karen shut the door, victory written on her face. She could wait a month, that's all it would take wouldn't it?

Unfortunately, a month or two translated into seven years.

"**Fairy Tail mages assumed to be dead in a horrifying event at Tenrou Island," **a news headline read. "**The mages were on the island, which is considered sacred to the guild, to perform the S-Class Trial. However, eyewitnesses reported that a giant, black dragon decimated the island in one blast. We cannot confirm that a dragon completely obliterated the land mass, but the island itself has completely disappeared, the mages along with it." **

"**Among the missing is Celestial Spirit mage Lucy Heartfilia, who was confirmed to have nearly all of the golden zodiac keys at the time. It is currently unknown where the keys have disappeared, as they have vanished without a trace along with their master. There are searchers out on the water looking for any signs of life or the keys themselves. We'll update once we know more."**

"CURSE THAT LION!" Karen roared in hatred, slamming her fist against the table next to her.

It was hard to tell whether or not Leo's new master was alive or not. Golden keys could not be destroyed so easily. There were only two ways to destroy a key of that caliber; To summon the Celestial Spirit King, or, if they were strong enough, a spirit could destroy it themselves. It was highly likely that Leo could break his own key, being the most powerful of the zodiacs.

But in this case, there was no need to destroy his own key. If the keys weren't found soon, then it could be presumed that they disappeared along with their master. The question was where did they go? Did Lucy end up going to another dimension? Sealed away perhaps? The latter was more likely than the former. If it was true that the keys and master were sealed away, then that could mean the seal would take a while to be undone. Or, it could never be undone.

Karen gritted her teeth. No Lucy Heatfilia meant no Leo. The spirit would have no reason to come to Earthland. He could stay in the Spirit World for as long as he liked. And unfortunately for her, she could no longer capture him. A waiting game began, for some time in the future the sealed island would be undone. And Karen hoped it would be soon. A year had passed, another one, and another one after that. Yet no sign of the missing mages, or the lion spirit himself.

She continued on with her life, waiting for the day Leo would return. The former Celestial Spirit mage made more money, and got popular within the underworld itself. The drug meant for Leo was finished long ago. It combined elements used in Transformation Magic, along with some Lion DNA, not to mention so other ingredients, and Joseph had the perfect trick up his sleeve. This was a great achievement, as nothing like this was ever made before.

When used on a target, the magic particles would attack the DNA of the target in question. It would change it, and would replace the damaged parts of the strands with Lion DNA that was attached to it. The immediate reaction to the target would be a change in body structure, taking on the characteristics of a lion. The only downside is if someone wanted to fully complete the transformation, multiple dosages would have to take place.

This of course would be no problem if used on Leo. As from what Joseph observed in his DNA structure, the spirit was seventy-five percent lion. It would only take about five full dosages to complete it. Not that Karen didn't mind, as she wanted to make sure Leo was tormented every minute of it. She wanted to savor it, to make sure what would happen if he disobeyed her. All she had to do was wait. And then finally, the day came after seven years.

"**Fairy Tail mages who disappeared along with Tenrou Island have miraculously returned." **

It was enough to get her plan back into motion. She sent lackeys into Magnolia in order to find the right time to capture him. So far, things seemed to be normal around that guild. Until one night, when they saw the lion spirit walk out of Magnolia into the wooded area nearby. He seemed distraught, down, almost depressed. No one knew why, but it wasn't important. Capturing him was high priority.

Joseph could see the pride and wicked victory on Karen's face when they brought Leo in. She was right, he looked nothing like a lion at all. Heck, Leo looked practically about his age! Course he obviously wasn't his age, but there wasn't any trace or hint on the young man that screamed "lion" besides the head of hair.

"Chain him up in the room with the golden chains," she told them.

These chains were specifically forged to hold back the powers of a Celestial Spirit. Karen paid a hefty price in order to get them, but the price was nothing compared to the amount of money she had and the purpose it would pose. These were guaranteed to hold Leo the Lion in place. If they couldn't, there was always the backup plan.

Karen held up a small necklace up to her face, examining it thoroughly. There wasn't much to the necklace itself, except for the small trinket it held. It was the zodiac symbol for Leo. At first glance, it didn't look like much. Most people would just assume that it was just a cheap little piece of jewelry. But for Karen, the price of it told her so much more.

When the Grand Magic Games began a few years ago, an auction sprang up as well in the city of Crocus. Many high priced items were sold here, as wizards and mages gathering for the games would try to sell whatever they could. Sometimes, even very rare items were sold there, from Lost Spells to items just like the one she had in her hand.

She researched if there was anything that could hold a spirit on Earthland for a good amount of time. Eventually, Karen came across this. An old necklace made over a thousand years ago by the king of Silva, a country located in Alakitasia, and unfortunately neighbors with the Alvarez Empire. It was originally made so that Leo the Lion could enjoy the freedom of remaining on Earthland for as long as he wanted. The king wanted to make the other eleven, however a war occurred and the king died.

How something powerful as this ended up in an auction is beyond her. An item that could allow a spirit to live in Earthland without worry of dying was unheard of. If anyone ever found out, a war would most definitely start. An immortal being's only weakness taken away. No doubt there would be blood shed for it. And Karen had her hands on it.

Of course, some additional spells had to be added onto it. There would be no contact with the Celestial World, otherwise they would be discovered. A fail-safe as well, for example if Leo decided he wanted to take it off, he couldn't do it himself. Someone who he completely trusted would have to take it off, or Karen herself. One of the two. Her operation could not be discovered at all. If it did, death would be coming very soon.

Leo was taken to a dark cell, one in which the special chains were kept. His wrists and ankles were locked up. Once this occurred, the chains glowed slightly, restraining the magic from the spirit itself. Leo slept peacefully, not even feeling the chains on him or the effects of his magic being restrained.

"Now Leo, you are mine," she said, a vicious grin crossing her face.

Karen brushed his hair away, making room for the necklace to fit over his head. Once around his neck, the pendant glowed softly, a light blue emanating from it, brightening up the room. For a second, Leo mumbled in his sleep. She almost thought he was waking up. Yet, nothing else happened. The lion spirit groaned softly, and the glow from the pendant stopped.

Within a few hours, the lion spirit woke up. When Karen entered the room, she saw the shock and terror in his features. How she had dreamed of this day. Her hard work and effort had finally paid off, and the lion spirit was now in her hands. Now, a week has already passed, and one question remained.

What to do with him now?

Another dosage of the "lion serum" as it was dubbed wasn't due until next week. According to Joseph, the spirit was now about eighty percent lion, just as he expected. Some features had formed, but disappeared after a few minutes. However, they would most likely remain once more of the serum was injected into his system. She supposed she could have him injected with less of it, having the effects last a little longer.

With the rate they were going at, Leo would be done with it in approximately four more weeks. Karen didn't want that. She wanted it to last longer than this. One month wouldn't suffice. No, three months would suffice. That was the amount of time he was missing from her. Yes, that could work.

She called Joseph to her room.

"What is it that you want me to do for you, Lady Karen?"

"Give Leo a third of the normal dosage," she began. "I want him to suffer longer. He disobeyed me for three months, and I want him to suffer for that amount of time."

"As you wish," he answered, and Joseph left the room, going out to prepare the next dosage.

Karen smirked. Everything was going well. Now to tune in on today's session.

* * *

Lucy groaned in agony, her body aching from the day before.

'_Man, I didn't think it would be easy, but all of this training is getting the better of me,' _she thought to herself.

Pulling back the covers, Lucy then headed into the shower, hoping it would relieve her muscles from some of the aching pains.

She, along with the rest of the guild, well _mostly _everyone, was beginning to train for the Grand Magic Games, an event going on for the past few years after they disappeared for a while. And unfortunately, Fairy Tail was no longer the strongest guild when it came to winning the games. They had fallen in last place every year.

The Celestial Spirit mage tried not to think of the time passage too much. It was so much to handle. Everyone had grown older. Ranks in guilds had changed. Her father...

Lucy blinked away the tears. '_No, he wouldn't want me thinking like that right now. Get it together Lucy!'_

She continued on with her shower, surprised that there was no knock on the door, or a yell of, "Princess!" from a certain spirit. Lucy sighed. It had been about a week since she saw him. The last time Loke was seen around the guild was when there was that big brawl, and the poor spirit got knocked away and injured. Thankfully Wendy had been there to heal him.

Something was wrong with Loke that day. Lucy didn't know what it was, but he seemed...depressed. Unhappy. Not to mention she felt his pride go down as Loke learned he was nearly knocked out by Natsu. The lion spirit has been looking really down lately. Maybe she could do something for him.

Of course, when it came to doing something for Loke, he would most likely ask for a date. Lucy nearly groaned at the thought. She loved all of her spirits, and all of them loved her back. Unfortunately it seemed Loke loved her more than her other spirits loved her. He really loved her in that kind of way. Yet, she thinks it's not as real as Loke believed it would be. After all, he's a playboy. One minute he's in love with Lucy, the next he's in love with some other girl.

Her case was made more clear when Loke didn't show up in Edolas. Instead, Virgo came in his place and said he had a date. Lucy was very ticked off when she heard this. How could he, after the lion spirit promised her that he would be there for her at any time, not show up because of a date? Loke could've easily come for at least a minute or two, and not send Virgo. Eventually he did end up coming, and she should've said something to him about that other date. She wanted to. She needed to.

Lucy couldn't do it for some reason. She felt she didn't have the right to in the first place. Loke had told her his story of Karen and his banishment. Sometimes, she believed he was more human than spirit. He had his own life, and probably forgot that he was a spirit. It didn't help that Loke spent three years in the human world disguised as a human, and not to mention went out with a ton of girls, well...probably a ton of girls she assumed.

The Celestial Spirit mage knew that her spirits were living beings, not just tools. Each had their own distinct personality and character. But she never imagined to meet a spirit quite like Loke. He was very different from everyone else, from every other spirit. Loke had so much...she didn't know the right word for it. Was it freedom? No. Ah, courage!

Loke had the courage to be himself. Most of the spirits didn't have that. Even though Lucy treated them with love and respect, some still behaved like they were in chains, she hated to say. Aries being one of the most prominent cases. Course Aquarius was the complete opposite, but she still came when Lucy called for her, and (half the time) used magic when Lucy commanded.

The lion spirit was a different story. He would come on his accord, whether she was in danger or just on random. It wasn't like any behavior a spirit would enact. Loke was an unusual case. There were no words to describe him. He was just different...in a good way, obviously. Their relationship was more than spirit and master. It was friendship.

Lucy stepped out of the shower and dried her hair. She began to think about the training with her friends today. Yes, her friends, she remembered. Another thought occurred and the blonde realized that Loke hadn't summoned himself in the past week at all. Usually she sometimes saw him at the guild, but this odd lack of him felt weird. It wasn't like him to not show up at all.

'_Maybe I'll do some training with him today,' _Lucy thought to herself. '_Maybe it'll cheer him up after last week.' _Perhaps that would make him feel better. With a new resolve on her mind, she quickly got dressed, made herself a light breakfast, and headed down to the beach to train with the others.

'_I could summon him, I suppose,' _her mind began to wonder. '_I could ask him if he wants to train with me today.' _

She unhooked his key from the ring that held her other keys and held it out in front of her. Lucy gathered her magic and began to perform the summon.

"Open! Gate of the Lion! Loke!" She called.

Nothing happened.

"Huh?" The blonde mage wondered aloud.

Why didn't he answer her call? She hadn't said the summoning wrong had she? Nevertheless, Lucy tried again.

"Open! Gate of the Lion! Loke!"

This time, a doorbell was heard, but no one came. She became frustrated, beginning to think that Loke had probably ditched her for a date again. This time, she called him out by his real name.

"Open! Gate of the Lion! Leo!" Nothing happened. Absolutely nothing. She gripped the key in frustration and anger.

'_That stupid, overgrown, idiot FLIRT!' _Lucy mentally shouted, probably loud enough for him to hear her through his key. Yet nothing happened. There was no sign of Loke, anywhere.

Lucy nearly threw the key to the ground in anger. She couldn't describe what she felt. Was it betrayal? His promises to her felt broken and shattered.

"_I'll be your knight in shining armor!" _She remembered him saying. "_I'll be there for you at any time Princess!" _he said. Promises that were broken.

"_Love makes spirits stronger!" _he said.

'_Yeah right,' _Lucy couldn't help but think. '_How can you love me when you're not even there for me?' _With nothing else to do than to head to the beach, she continued onward.

'_Maybe I'll summon Virgo. She could talk some sense into him.' _She thought about it again, and doubted it. '_She'll probably just ask for punishment instead of giving it.' _The beach was now in her sights.

Today was a bright and beautiful day, the summer heat was going to be as hot as ever. At this time of day, however, it was only getting started, meaning it was the perfect time for training. Looking down at the beach, she saw her guild mates. Natsu, Happy, Gray, Erza, Juvia, Wendy, Carla, Levy, Jet, and Droy were all there, and ready to begin today's training.

Being sealed away for seven years had taken its toll on many of them. Not to mention an excited Natsu was as eager as ever to get caught up with the rest of the world at this point. Many others have gotten stronger since they last saw them, especially those in Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus. They didn't need to fall behind. Not now, since the Games were only three months away.

"Morning everyone!" she called down to them. They all turned to see her coming down the hill. Unfortunately for the Celestial Spirit mage, a flying blue cat came at her in excitement.

"Lusssshhii!" Happy exclaimed. He came crashing into her chest, nearly knocking her over.

"Ouch! Stupid cat!" Lucy couldn't help but say. Happy didn't care. Eventually he settled for moving away from her. The rest of the gang came towards her.

"Morning Lucy!" Levy said to her.

"Morning Levy!" Lucy answered. With their morning greetings out of the way, they began their training for the day.

"It's a good thing we have three months to train," Lucy said to herself.

"Three months is soooo long," she heard an eavesdropping cat behind her.

"Happy!" she said, slightly annoyed that he was eavesdropping on her. "Yeah, but it gives us time to train at least, right?"

"Aye!" Happy answered, now feeling better about the three months. The two continued their conversation for a little bit, until a ray of light appeared next to them.

"Virgo!?" she asked. "What are you doing here?!" The rest of the gang heard her, and came around her.

"Princess, there is an emergency in the Celestial Spirit World," Virgo replied. It was like she was nervous. "There is a crisis of destruction. The Spirit King needs you immediately. Please Princess, you must come with me!" She sounded like she was practically begging at the end.

"Alright let's go!" The group turned to Natsu, who had an excited look on his face.

"Na-Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed.

"We can't just go idiot!" Gray said to him. But the Dragon Slayer didn't seemed fazed.

"They're our friends! We're not going to leave them behind. And besides...I want to give Loke a thrashing for last week!" he said the last part with a devilish grin and look.

'_Loke…' _Lucy thought. '_Maybe that was why he wasn't coming to me. He was busy with this crisis…' _It had been wrong of her to assume.

"Put these on then, Princess," she heard Virgo say, dragging her out of her thoughts. The spirit held out Spirit World clothes to them. They all put the clothes on over their swimwear.

"We are going there now, Princess," Virgo said without any emotion.

"Wait right…!" her sentence wasn't finished, as a big magic circle formed around them. Then, there were whisked away to the Celestial Spirit World, leaving a bewildered Jet and Droy behind. Little did they know that the "crisis" was an actual surprise celebration, carefully planned by the spirits…

...yet this celebration would turn into an immediate disaster in time.

* * *

A few moments before Lucy reached the beach…

"Gahhhhh!" Loke cried out.

Try as he may, he could not suppress the wave of pain flowing through his system. He tried to avoid another dosage from Joseph, but it was to no avail. The young man was too fast, and Loke was chained and could not go far. The needle pierced his skin again, and it didn't take long for the pain to take effect.

He slumped to the ground, groaning in agony. Soon, the pain went away faster than the last time. The smaller dosage helped. But the lion spirit couldn't help but be exhausted. Loke looked and saw Joseph stood in front of him, a smirk on his face. He knew that Karen would be satisfied by this. He soon began his trek out of the cell, knowing that he had done his work for the day. However, once glance back and Joseph saw something interesting beginning to happen.

Loke felt a tug at his soul. He knew what this meant. Lucy was trying to summon him.

'_That's my way out of here!' _Loke thought in triumph.

He smirked, knowing he would be able to get out of this place finally. No more Joseph. No more agonizing shots. No more Karen. He could finally heal up in the Spirit World. Loke could finally see Lucy again.

Yet, his expression changed when all he saw right below his neck a tiny spark. A spark that came from the pendant of the necklace. His thoughts were one of confusion, and then Loke eyes widened in realization.

'_No, they couldn't __possibly…!' _He took one last glance over at the scientist, who had a confirming gaze set on him. Loke was terrified.

'_No! Please, not again!'_

On cue, the tiny spark then became one huge electric shock, engulfing his entire body. He screamed, not able to block or resist the wave of electricity through his veins. After a few seconds, they stopped, and Loke fell to his hands and knees. He tried to catch his breath, slowly inhaling and exhaling. He couldn't be summoned. Loke couldn't leave even if anyone tried.

Another second later, he thought he heard something. Or rather someone.

"_Open! Gate of the Lion! Loke!" _

It was undoubtedly Lucy. Loke grew fearful again. He could hear her summoning him.

'_Please Lucy! Can you hear me!?' _he called mentally. He got his answer, in the form of an electric shock.

"Ahhhhhh!" Loke yelled. He tried his best to remain on his hands and knees, yet at some points it was becoming unbearable.

The shock ended once again. He breathed in and out heavily. It was clear that Lucy couldn't hear him at all. Nevertheless, Loke couldn't do anything but try.

'_Lucy! DON'T DO IT!' _This time he mentally screamed as loud as he could, hoping the message would hear her. Loke was pleading at this point. He wanted the pain to stop. He just wanted to see her again.

"_Open! Gate of the Lion! Leo!" _

His head perked up instantly. His pupils were now pinpricks. Something inside Loke snapped. For it wasn't a scream that echoed throughout the cell as the electric shock engulfed him once more. No, it was something more powerful and loud. This wasn't a scream, yell, or cry.

It was a roar.

"**RRRRRRAAAARRRRR!" **

Loke's teeth shown, revealing their now sharp and pointed nature. This was a lion's roar. This was something he had never done before in his entire existence. The shocks ravaged through his body with no mercy, the waves of pain becoming stronger. His fingers dug into the ground, as claws began to grow on the tips of them.

Finally, as it seemed like an eternity went by, the shock ended, the glow fading away. Exhaustion took complete control over him, and he lost his position on his hands and knees. It was a moment before the lion spirit realized he was falling to the ground. The realization at what he did became clear to him.

'_What's...happening...to me…?' _

Finally, the darkness enveloped him as he collapsed to the earth. Loke was unconscious.

Joseph left the room, now satisfied at what he saw. He shut the door behind him, leaving the lion spirit in peace. All the while, Loke slept. Seconds, minutes, and eventually a few hours passed by. He didn't rise from his slumber. His chest rose up and down with his even breathing. Nothing could rouse him at this stage.

It was then six hours had passed. Loke slowly opened his eyes, wondering what the heck had happened.

'_Where...am I?' _the lion spirit thought.

He was still in the same room Karen had thrown him into a week ago. Loke sat up, flinching a little as pain shot up him. He remembered then.

'_Oh...right...I was shocked by...Lucy…' _

His thoughts were jumbled and a mess. It took him a second to stand up quickly when he remembered Lucy.

"Lucy!" he cried out. But as soon as he got to his feet, he fell to the ground. Loke had lost his balance.

"Ack!" he winced.

It all started to come back to him. He was almost summoned by Lucy three times, and during those three times he was shocked. And then...that roar. Loke's hand immediately went to his throat, hoping that it was only an injury that caused a distorted scream. But to his surprise, his throat was fine.

Loke shook in fear. His emotions were getting the better of him. From knowing that Lucy had unintentionally hurt him to his sudden outburst, he couldn't take it anymore.

'_Don't cry, you have to stay strong!' _Loke mentally said to himself. '_Stay strong for them! For Lucy!' _

Suddenly it occurred to him that he felt like he was sitting on something. Like a part of his body. He knew there wasn't anything under him besides the stone floor. So what was there? Loke shifted slightly, and whatever it was that he was sitting on was gone. He felt a little bit better, but then it came upon him that his shifting caused his rear end to hurt.

Instinctively, he reached his right hand behind him to ease the pain. Only, there was something there. He grew frightened, his eyes widening. Loke gingerly touched whatever it was that was behind him, and it caused him to gasp. How had he felt his own touch?

His hand gently grasped a hold of it, a slight shiver going up his spine at his cold hands. He then let the object, or whatever it was, flow through his hand. The sensation along his spine grew more.

'_How long is it?' _Loke wondered.

It wasn't until he came to the end of said object that he brought it up in front of him. The lion spirit gasped in shock, and he knew in an instant what it was. He let go.

Loke thought of it twitching. It twitched. Loke thought of it moving up slightly. It moved up slightly. Loke thought of it moving from side to side. It moved from side to side. It did his bidding. It was a part of him, he realized. Despite his sore throat, Loke screamed. And in another room, watching the scene play out, Karen laughed in amusement.

Loke had a tail.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**That's the end of Chapter 3! Yee! Let's get into some stuff!**

**So there's your explanation about why Karen didn't make a move till now. Loke didn't appear again truly as a spirit until the Battle of Fairy Tail Arc, when he saved Lucy from Bickslow. The date for that is Oct. 15th according to the manga. I would say a rough estimate of when Loke's key was obtained would've been in August, which ironically is the month of Leo, for the most part. Karen would've thought he was dead by now, until she saw him in reports. And he only appeared briefly in Oracion Seis and Edolas, so Karen couldn't have gone after him then. And then Tenrou happened on Dec 15th...you get the gist.**

**So the gang goes off to the Spirit World for three months...ouch. Loke's gonna be there a long time isn't he? At first I hated the idea of the time difference, but then I realized there's so much that could be done with it. Course the time supposedly gets fixed, but that's not canon, so uh, I might do something maybe with that?**

**Also apologies if some of the characters seem kinda OC. This is my first time writing a FT fanfic, so bare with me lol. But thank you to those still supporting me on this! I'm glad you guys like the whole, "What if Karen hadn't died?" scenario.**

**Lastly, tell me what you guys think! I love reviews! They keep me going and they let me know you guys enjoy this story!**

**Anyways, Until Next Time, See Ya Universe!**

**-Palkia**


	5. Claws of Changed

**Author's Note**

**Hello Universe! Palkia's back with Chapter 4! Yeah! **

**Thank you to all those who favorited and followed this story! I really appreciate it!**

**Now, let's go on to it!**

**I do not own Fairy Tail. **

**Chapter 4 **

**Claws of Changed **

'_A tail...I have a tail…' _

Loke was still in shock at the sight before him. A tail, an actual tail, had grown. And it wasn't an ordinary tail. It was a _lion's _tail. The idea of it made him nervous. Loke was a humanoid spirit, never having any animal features aside from the tufts of hair that looked like cat ears and somewhat sharp teeth.

But this...this was on an entirely different level. He just knew it wasn't natural for a human to have a tail. Well, of course he wasn't human to begin with, but Loke knew that it wasn't supposed to be there. A humanoid spirit like him shouldn't have something like this. Did Joseph do something to him? No, it must've been something in that shot he was given.

He realized that what he had thought of days ago was becoming true. '_Is this what Karen meant by...punishment?' _Loke thought.

Was her true intention to turn him into some sort of monster? Yes, this has to be it. Mental torture, that was what she was after from the beginning. Yet this was not her style. Things like this...it was only then Loke realized how long it had been since he had seen his previous master.

Ten years...she plotted this for ten long years. Sure, he came to Earthland a few times when everyone else was stuck at Tenrou, but even then, there was no move made on him. The lion spirit even forgot about the passage of time, since Lucy looked barely, if not at all changed from Tenrou. But ten years...a lot can happen during this time.

That meant ten years of a grudge held against him. Of hatred and revenge. Karen must've knew he was alive at some point, maybe after the whole ordeal with Laxus and the Thunder Legion. His death was plotted ten years ago, and that idea never left his old master ever since she found out he was alive in the first place. And his capture was planned seven years ago.

His eyes widened in fear. '_She really does want to torture me,' _Loke thought. '_She can't kill me, but she can torture me.' _

Spirits were to some degree immortal, yet they could always return to the Spirit World if need be, unless they're banished, like Loke was. But for her to be able to keep him here, without him losing his life or his magic, Karen could do whatever she wanted.

Loke stood up, despite the pains and aches from previous electric shocks from the necklace. As soon as he did, however, he fell over and lost his balance.

"Ah!" he cried out in pain. "Oww…."

This happened to him earlier. His sense of balance and position left him as soon as he stood up. Why?

It then hit him. Unfortunately for Loke, it looked like his new found "appendage" seemed to be getting the better of him. He growled in frustration. If he were to get out of here, the lion spirit would more than likely the only way of getting out of here was to walk out.

'_Looks like I have to get used to this after all,' _Loke thought.

The lion spirit got up once more, the chains around his wrists and ankles clanging. Only this time he put his arms out for support. His whole body began to shake. He realized he was nervous.

'_It's just walking Loke,' _he reminded himself. '_Don't be nervous. It's just walking.' _

But Loke wasn't afraid of walking. It was the falling that he feared most. The previous shocks he received earlier still hurt, and falling would just make him hurt more.

'_Put one foot out,' _he mentally scolded himself. '_What am I afraid of? If I fall, I fall. No big deal!' _

Loke put his right foot out forward, and let it touch the ground. Now the next one. His left leg shook as he lifted it up. He became nervous yet again.

'_I'm going to fall,' _his mind chanted. '_I'm going to fall. I'm going to…'_

Loke's body wavered, but at the last moment, he felt a sensation come from his new tail. It twitched, then it moved to the side. His left foot came down, and the lion spirit's body no longer shook. Loke's breath hitched, and he didn't realize that tears were coming to his eyes.

'_I'm changing…' _the words invaded his mind. He shook his head, blinking away the tears.

'_No! I'm still the same!' _he told himself. '_Karen can do whatever she wants, but I won't break! Not for her! I need to stay strong, for Lucy!' _

He stepped forward, his eyes filled with a newfound determination for his master, his _only _master. Loke's foot touched the ground, no longer wobbling as before. His tail moved to balance himself. It moved on instinct.

'_Again,' _Loke scolded. He put his left foot forward. '_Again.'_ The lion spirit put his right foot forward. '_Again!' _His foot came down faster this time.

'_Keep going!' _Loke wasn't stepping forward, he was walking.

'_I won't stop!' _His pace quickened, even though the amount of area his chains let him roam around was small.

'_Not till I'm out of here!' _

Loke was running. The chains clattered against the floor, but he hardly noticed it. As soon as he felt them tug at his limbs, the lion spirit turned around and ran the other way. The tail moved in unison, maintaining his balance and weight. He grit his teeth, but not because it was in anger. No, this was a smirk of determination, of hope.

'_If I have to walk out of here, then so be it! Whatever the heavens throw at me, go ahead! Karen decides to torture me, let her! I won't break! Not till I see her again. That is my promise.'_

'_Lucy, if you can hear me, this is my promise...to you.'_

* * *

Two weeks had passed since that day. Meaning he had been held in Karen's prison for a month. Or at least what he thought was a month. Loke lost track of time by now. He had no watch, so it was impossible to tell how long he's been here by this point. Nor could he mark the walls with chalk or something of the like. Either way, he had lost track of time.

'_How long has it been? Since I saw them?' _he asked himself.

It felt like only yesterday since he saw all of his friends at Fairy Tail and his fellow spirits. Loke missed them all of course. And yet, his memory was hazy from all the pain. Physically, there was a lot of pain. Mentally, he wasn't so sure.

He was definitely sure of the physical pain. Joseph came in last week, and would most likely come in today as well. In the past few...well however much time he's been here, nothing has changed much besides his new tail. How long did Karen intend to keep him here anyway? There was only so much she could do, and it wasn't like she could kill him either.

The door opened, and Joseph walked in. Loke didn't even feel like acknowledging him.

"So, how are you today, Leo?" he asked. The lion spirit only stared. "Have you been enjoying your new _abilities?_"

A sound by what could only be described as a snarl escaped him. Immediately afterwards, he covered his mouth.

To say that nothing much has changed was an understatement. His new set of vocals was the latest edition to his abilities after he had gotten his dosage the week before. It was only a few days afterward when he found out, as Loke snarled at one of the men who decided to bring him "food."

There was also the question of _that. _They brought in more meat a while back as well. By that point, Loke was _really _hungry. He was in dire need of some sort of energy. And unfortunately for him, it had to be raw meat. A few men had brought in another box of meat the other day, and he was more tempted than the last time to sink his teeth into it. Instincts were taking a stronger hold on his mind as the days went by, hence why he hissed when those humans were touching his food.

It was so unlike him, Loke knew this. But he was just glad either way he had some sort of energy as of now. Even if it was this. At least he decided to not throw it up this time. The lion spirit preferred it to be cooked, but this tasted fine to him either way. At that point, Loke knew his stomach accepted the raw meat, and there was nothing else he could do about it.

"Ahh, I see you're using them well," Joseph commented. "It seems that my little medicine works wonderfully for you. Now then, shall we get down to business?"

He stepped forward, revealing yet again the needle in his hand. Loke's eyes narrowed, but they weren't focused on the needle. They were focused on the person holding the needle.

"Why are you doing this?" Loke had to ask. He needed some answers to some of his questions, as well as to try to avoid Joseph from doing the task at hand. First of all, why would Karen decide to focus on one man instead of multiple like she had done in the past? Furthermore, why just him in the first place?

"Whatever Lady Karen requires of me I will do," was his response. "If she wishes it, I will do it." He drew closer with the needle.

Loke didn't want to show it, but he was terrified. '_No, no more pain. I need some way to distract him!' _

"It's not like Karen to only stick to one man," the lion spirit commented. Fortunately for him, he seemed to have struck a nerve within the scientist.

'_Good,' _he thought. '_I'm keeping him distracted.'_

"She has decided that her old ways were too pitiful and disgusting. She has thrown those away, and has made a new image for herself."

A tone of anger was in Joseph's voice. Loke nearly smirked. He was getting irritated more and more with his comments.

"So how many men does she have working under her, ey?"

His eyes flashed in the light, ones that resembled a cat's own. A devilish look came upon Loke's face, as he was now beginning to set up his mischievous, playboyish ways again. The lion spirit wasn't trying to woo someone, he was trying to tease and strike.

"Oh I bet she has at least ten, maybe a hundred…Ack!"

He definitely had struck a nerve this time around, because Joseph had pinned him against the wall.

"And how would you know, _lion?_" he spat. Loke coughed, the choke-hold from the scientist getting to him, as well as the other pain he was currently experiencing from recent dosages.

"Because...ugh! I was her spirit...ack! For a few years! And...hah...I certainly wasn't proud of it."

If those words were said in front of the Spirit King or any other spirit, there would be no doubt that he would've gotten banished immediately. No questions asked. A spirit could never say something like that. It was a sign of rebellion, and Loke had rebelled and got punished.

Joseph eyed him, giving him a glare that probably would send most people running. But it wouldn't work against the lion spirit, not even if he really tried. The chains didn't help anyway. He stepped back, letting Loke fall to the ground. Loke gasped, clutching his throat. It wasn't like he needed air, it was just that the pain was unbearable.

"Then, tell me something, _Leo," _he sneered. "If it were true that Lady Karen was indeed involved with many other men, then where does that leave you?"

The lion spirit was regaining his breath, and glared up at Joseph. He chose his next words carefully. This could go either way, in his favor or in Joseph's favor. And he was determined to not let Joseph cause him more pain at the moment.

"Spirits...are not meant to have any sort of relationship with their master to begin with," Loke began. "With exceptions of course. However, while at the time she may have been a beautiful woman, Karen treated us like tools. And when she…" he trailed off, remembering how much his former master took advantage of Aries.

"_Abused _Aries," Loke continued. "I couldn't take it anymore. Spirits aren't meant to be used as tools! We're living beings too! Yet, she didn't see it that way…" His voice was beginning to be filled with malice.

"Every day I remained here for those three months, I was punched, kicked, bruised until I fell over. She didn't care. All she wanted was for me to go back."

His eyes became slits, filled with hatred and anger. "Don't you see!?" The lion spirit shouted. "Karen will do anything to get what she wants! Why would I seek any relationship with her with this in mind!?"

Normally Loke wouldn't have said this about any women. He wasn't the type to take advantage of or say any bad things about women. But Karen…after a month of this torture and these new developments, he just couldn't help himself.

He breathed heavily, anger coursing through his veins. "Yet as a spirit and since she was my master, I regretted her death for all these years, and then this happens?! I didn't mean for her to die! I didn't want her to die! I hated her because of her abuse, but death? Can you imagine what I felt when I saw Karen alive and breathing, and the betrayal afterwards!?"

Loke was pouring his heart out into this. He could feel a few tears brimming in his eyes, but he blinked them away. He wouldn't start crying. Not here. Not in front of this scientist that was causing him this pain!

"I was prepared to go back after three months. And if she abused Aries again after that, I would've come out and stayed. I had no intention of wanting her...GAH!"

Loke could only cry out in pain as Joseph pushed the needle into his arm, injecting more of the serum into his system. He slumped to the ground, groaning in agony. The scientist stepped back, watching the lion spirit recoil as the pain took over him.

"You know nothing, _lion,_" Joseph retorted back to him, trying to set him in his place. Oh Loke had definitely struck a nerve.

"You spirits are meant to obey, not to rebel. To serve your master is your only purpose in your existence. And you disobeyed Lady Karen all those years ago. Meaning you should be punished for what you did."

The lion spirit gritted his teeth, his fists clenching. Claws emerged from his fingers, piercing his skin as a few drops of gold colored blood dropped onto his hand. His hair became wild and untamed, becoming mane-like. His cat ears were now more pronounced, connected to his head.

"You...don't..._understand,_" he growled, his voice sounding menacing.

Loke stood up, his head low. His tail was swishing back and forth violently. Joseph recognized this behavior in an instant. The lion spirit was mad, very mad. The chains clattered as the spirit stood up, but he acted like they didn't exist.

A low snarl was heard. "She treated us like nothing! Like we didn't even have souls! The punishment that was imposed on me years ago was lifted by the Spirit King himself! And he eventually agreed that my actions weren't worth the consequences. Me being alive here and now proves it!" Yet despite his anger rising and his near spoken threats, Joseph retaliated.

"Yet you decided to disobey her," the scientist replied. "No matter who the master is or how the master acts, a spirit must obey. They do not have a say. There can be no objection! Leo, you were supposed to obey Lady Karen. But because you went against her, you should've been punished! No matter what that king said to you!"

Loke snapped.

In an instant, the lion spirit pounced onto the scientist, pinning him down easily. Joseph struggled to get out, yet he realized something. It was at this point that he had given enough serum to the lion spirit for his strength to increase tenfold. And thus, Loke easily overpowered him. There was no escape for him.

Looking into the spirit's eyes, Joseph could see the exact opposite of what he saw earlier. Loke was deranged, like he had lost whatever prideful and snarky attitude existed in him earlier. His teeth were showing, flashing a toothy grin of giddiness and insanity. The fur on the spirit's tail was on end.

"You...know..._NOTHING!" _He hissed.

Loke's hold on the scientist increased, claws digging into his arms. A few drops of blood came with it.

"We're...living beings...as well!"

The words were becoming harder to say, as Loke felt that his mind was losing control. Instincts were all he had at the moment.

"We...have free will!" Loke snarled.

Joseph, for the first time ever since he encountered the lion spirit in this prison, felt fear and terror within his soul. At this point, the scientist was very confident that Loke was going to attempt to kill him. His instincts were heightened tremendously.

"We...can...make...choices!" The lion spirit continued. "And...do you know...what my choice...is?!"

His last set of words were said in a lower voice, not even sounding like his original voice. Unfortunately Joseph had a feeling about that choice, but he was prepared for something like this. And he hoped it would work.

"TO...KILL...YOU!"

The lion spirit roared after saying this. Loke threw his head back, his grin wild. Then, he leaned forward, ready to bite his neck off. But at the last moment, the lion spirit felt his strength slip away, his body slumping. His eyes felt heavy, as he began to drift off into unconsciousness. Joseph felt the grip that was holding him down loosen, and he shoved the lion spirit off of him.

Joseph breathed easily again. He smirked in victory. Moving his left hand to steady his head revealed another needle under his sleeve, which promptly fell out onto the ground.

"Looks like the serum is a scientific success," he said to himself. "Heh…" Joseph stood up slowly. "Darn that spirit, ticking me off like that. I lost it for nothing."

He began walking out of the room, brushing himself off.

'_Still, this gives me some information regarding the situation at hand. His instincts are no doubt getting stronger. Yet he hasn't changed much trait wise, well aside from the tail. Leo should've at least changed a bit more by now, at least in bone structure.'_

'_Something isn't adding up here. By now, the percentage of lion DNA in his system is approximately 87%. There should be more here than just the tail. Whiskers, muzzle, maybe even paws! But there's barely anything, other than the vocal rearrangement and the instincts, however those were always there.'_

'_Even with these few changes, there should be more! There must be something blocking the serum from spreading further! But what? His immune system can't resist it. The serum is for the most part, magic. Yet why is this the case?' _Joseph closed the door behind him, leaving behind the unconscious lion spirit.

'_I must report to Lady Karen about this immediately. If something is truly halting the serum's progression, then I may need another sample. And this time, it would have to be more than a blood sample.' _

Joseph nearly shivered at the thought of having to go back in there with Leo. The lion spirit was indeed ready to kill him. But, he could always use a tranquilizer gun for long range instead.

Joseph knew he shouldn't be afraid of Leo. Heck, this would probably become a big scientific breakthrough if the experiment worked out in his favor. Yet the terror and anger in those hazel eyes as Leo stared into his soul, ready to deal the final blow, shook him internally.

Nevertheless, he walked down the long dark hallway towards Karen. Joseph knocked on the door, signaling that he wanted to speak with her. The door opened, and she awaited him inside. He closed the door behind him, so that no one would hear their conversation.

"Lady Karen, I have come to inform you on the progression of Leo," he began, bowing in respect. A smirk grew on the woman's face, a cynical delight in her eyes.

"So, how is he?" She asked curiously. The scientist sat down in a nearby chair, ready to answer her.

"Leo has made phenomenal progress," Joseph stated. "By this point, his biological makeup has grown to at least eighty-seven percent. However, there are a few flaws."

Karen looked at him. "And what do you mean by that?" She inquired, a bit of anger in her voice at the fact that something had gone wrong.

"It is not too much to get worried over, Lady Karen," he reassured her. "Yet it is something that intrigues me. While Leo's body has been accepting the serum, there has been very little change in his physique. Aside from the new tail of course. But from what I observed, there should be more there. At least in the anatomy department."

"Whatever is halting the further process of the serum has something to do with his body. I'm not quite sure what that may be, but my answer might be found through another blood sample. Or worse, I may have to give him surgery." If that was said in front of anyone, they would believe it to be impossible.

Surgery on a spirit? Could such a thing ever be done in the first place? A spirit was immortal, thus they did not require it. But was such a thing like this possible if it was ever needed? Joseph had been studying spirits for quite a while now, and he believed it was indeed possible. Yet nothing could go wrong in this scenario. He would have to plan it accordingly, and perfectly.

Karen thought about this for a moment. The last thing she wanted to do was to spend more money on the pathetic lion spirit. But if what she spent her money on in the past wasn't getting as far as she hoped, then there would be no choice. Karen sighed, standing up and looking over at Joseph.

"I hate to spend more money on him," she admitted. "Give him the rest of the serum. Increase the dosage of it as well. If something does indeed go wrong, then we'll have time to fix it. I intend to keep him here for three months. And he needs to be out of here by two at the latest. He's already spent a third of his time here. Leo will spend the rest here in pain." However Joseph was confused.

"Pardon me Lady Karen, but what do you plan to do with Leo after the three month time limit is up?" Karen smirked at him. Her eyes filled with cynical energy and hatred.

"You'll find out soon enough. I believe it'll be a fitting punishment after his time here." The scientist nodded to her, preparing to leave.

"I shall investigate the issue, Lady Karen," Joseph bid farewell to her, and left the room.

Karen sat back in her chair, thinking about that one possibility that she had come up with earlier.

'_Yes, it would work out just fine. I could obtain more money from this as well. And I would be getting rid of that pesky lion all in the process. Yes, it would be fine!' _She smiled to herself, plotting out her next move.

'_You're getting everything you deserve Leo!'_

* * *

Darkness. That was all Loke could see. Yet he could not move an inch. Not that he wanted to anyway. If he tried to do so, his body would erupt in pain. Yet Loke tried to open his eyes, and still found darkness. His head was spinning.

'_Where...am I?' _Loke thought to himself. The last thing he remembered was attacking Joseph. And then...everything else was a blur. Then as if to answer him, a bright light engulfed his vision.

'_Ack!' _He closed his eyes, wincing in pain. Nevertheless, the light became brighter and brighter, surrounding him completely.

"_Leo?" _a soft voice echoed through his mind. He gasped. Loke knew that voice very well, and couldn't believe his ears. It could be true. And he knew it. Yet he decided to answer.

'_Ar...Aries?!' _The light suddenly died down, no longer causing him pain. That was when Loke opened his eyes. And they widened with shock.

He was no longer in a cold dark cell. No, far from it. Far from Earthland in general. He was in the Spirit World! In his home nonetheless! Loke nearly sat up in shock, yet the second he felt slight pain he decided against it. But his eyes didn't betray him, as the sight he saw above him was one that he was accustomed to for thousands of years.

Loke was indeed in his home in the Spirit World. Currently he was in his bed, under the soft warm covers. This to him felt like a shock, since for the past month all he saw was darkness and felt cold. But how did Loke end up here to begin with?

'_How…?' _He could've sworn that the only way to get out was to walk out.

"Oh Leo! You're awake!" The same voice he heard earlier spoke off to his side. Loke turned to his left, and he was in shock. There stood the ram spirit Aries herself, dressed in her usual pink wool dress.

As soon as she saw his gaze, Aries blushed in embarrassment. "Ah! I'm sorry! I shouldn't be disturbing you!"

But he wasn't even paying attention to the ram spirit. The lion spirit just kept staring around the room, making sure that this was real and not a hallucination. Loke sat up, noting that it didn't hurt at all to perform this action, much less there wasn't anything hurting at the moment.

He glanced down at his hand and moved his fingers a few times. A noticeable trick over the past few weeks was when he flexed his fingers, claws would appear. Yet this time, nothing happened.

Loke looked himself over again, pulling back the golden colored covers and revealing the rest of his body. His black suit and pants, which were ragged and dirty while he was in prison, were clean and tidy with no wrinkles. Even his glasses on his nightstand, which he could've sworn had fingerprints and dirt on them, were spotless.

However, there was one very last thing he needed to check before he could verify with himself that what occurred before was only a dream, or rather nightmare. The lion spirit felt along his back and down to his behind, where he was certain that something would be there. But there was nothing. No tail at all.

"Umm...Leo?" Aries pulled him out of his thoughts. He looked back at her. "Are you...ok?" she asked nervously. Loke breathed heavily.

'_It was just a dream Leo,' _he thought to himself. '_Just a dream. Karen's gone. She's dead. She can't hurt you now.' _These thoughts were reassuring to the lion spirit. In the end he did respond to the spirit next to his bedside.

"Ye...Yeah. I'm fine," he told the ram. "Had a nightmare. That's all." Loke couldn't let any of the other spirits know about this.

He didn't want to show any sort of weakness in front of them. Especially when it was a nightmare about his former master. But the question was, why was Aries here in the first place? It wasn't like her to come in while he was sleeping.

"Is something going on Aries?" Loke asked. Said spirit had a shocked look on her face at the fact that he didn't remember what today was.

"You don't remember what today is?" she asked. But then Aries realized that she may have offended him. "Ah! I'm sorry!" she answered nervously. It was then that, to her surprise, the lion spirit shook his head.

"No, I don't remember," he admitted. His head was low, a slight hint of shame for not remembering what day it was.

The nightmare seemed too real to him, almost like it actually happened. Aries didn't question or criticize him for this, which he was thankful for. Loke knew that the ram spirit never said anything like that to begin with.

"Oh! Today is the day the king is announcing Aquarius as the Leader of the Zodiacs!" Aries told him.

His breath hitched in his throat. Once again, he couldn't believe the words he was hearing. Loke was the Leader of the Zodiacs! Not Aquarius!

'_No...it can't be…' _He thought. '_This...this must be a joke right?! She's not the leader. I am! So why…?'_

"Oh my gosh!" Aries shouted out of nowhere. "It's almost time! We have to go!" She immediately rushed out of his room at a great pace. "I'm sorry Leo!" he heard her voice shout from downstairs.

Loke's eyes were wide with fear and horror. This couldn't be true! Aquarius could never be the Leader! Not in the thousands of years he's been alive!

He immediately pulled the covers off of his bed, exposing himself to the cold temperature of his room. Since when was his room this cold? A shiver went up his spine, and suddenly Loke didn't feel so good. But he pushed these feelings behind him, grabbing his glasses from his nightstand, and ran downstairs. In a second, he was running as fast as he could out of his house.

'_What's going on?!' _Loke thought as he continued to run '_This isn't right! I have that position! So why is this happening?' _

The lion spirit took the shortest possible route to the king's domain, running past several silver key spirits. Some of them called out to him, but he decided to ignore them. His mind was in a jumbled state, not being able to fully process the events transpiring before his eyes.

The king's domain was in his sights. The zodiac lion began to mull over the possibilities of what could happen if Aquarius became the Leader. The entirety of the zodiacs would be in disarray. Spirits going wild, being able to do whatever they wanted without consequences. The twelve zodiacs getting into fights with each other, or worse, war.

'_I've got to stop this! Right now!' _he vowed.

Soon, he was in front of the king's palace, and a giant door stood in his way. With both arms against it, Loke pushed on it, despite the uneasy feeling he had decided to ignore earlier. The gigantic door opened, and he stood in the entrance way to the palace.

Immediately, Loke saw his fellow zodiac spirits. All eleven were present, including Aries, who he had just seen run out of his house. They stared at him, with unamused looks that rivaled Virgo. Aquarius and the Spirit King were in the back, standing next to each other. That was when Virgo spoke up.

"You're late again, brother," she said in her usual monotone voice, showing no surprise that the lion spirit was late.

Wait a sec. Late _again? _Loke was never late to anything! Sure, this may be the first time, but the word again caught him off guard. He couldn't be late to anything! The zodiac spirit was more confused.

The spirit king coughed subtly, catching everyone's attention. "Well," he began to say awkwardly. "Good of you to finally make it Leo. Now, let us begin."

Leo? The Spirit King never called him just "Leo!" It was always, "old friend!" Rarely would the king use his real name. Wanting answers, Loke stepped ahead of everyone towards Aquarius and the king.

"Spirit King, there must be some misunderstanding," Loke began. "I'm the Leader of the Zodiacs. Not Aquarius!"

There was silence. All of the spirits stared at him as if he was crazy. Even the Water Bearer herself looked like she was quietly snickering. Loke picked up on her, and turned his head.

"Huh?" he wondered aloud.

"Little brother, I do not think you are old enough to become the Leader," Virgo mentioned from behind.

This caught him off guard. Little brother? But he was older than Virgo! Heck, he was the oldest out of all of them! Wasn't he?

"She's got a point," Loke heard Scorpio speak up. "You're the youngest out of all of us. Babe's the oldest."

'_Grr, leave it to him to defend his girlfriend!' _Loke thought.

Yet another word crossed his mind. Youngest? He was nowhere near the youngest of the twelve zodiacs! He knew that for a fact. Loke turned back to the Spirit King and Aquarius, the latter seemingly amused at the situation in front of her. He walked right up to the Water Bearer, standing eye to eye with her. The lion spirit was frustrated.

"I'm serious when I say this," Loke began. "I'm the Leader of the Zodiacs. Not you. I've held that position for thousands of years, and yet you think now is a good time to take it. So...Ack!"

Before he could finish, Aquarius slapped him across the face, sending him falling to the ground. Loke closed his eyes in pain. He heard the mermaid chuckle.

"Sure, with a body like that, I'm sure you could lead all of us!" she stated sarcastically. The lion spirit sat up slowly, wincing.

'_What does she mean by that? I'm more than capable...huh?' _That was when Loke opened his eyes. His breath hitched in his throat once more. His eyes wide with horror. He looked himself over, making sure that this wasn't a joke.

'_WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?!' _

Loke no longer saw the body of a young man. Instead, he was in the body of a young boy, probably no more than five years old. He was definitely short, his small hands and small feet not even matching the size of them on his former body. The hair on his head was a little shorter, yet covering his hazel eyes a little. Even Loke's glasses were made to fit his small size. And while he was younger, the little lion spirit still wore a fitted suit, but now with a tie that had paw prints on it and looked childish.

"Leo!" Aries came rushing from behind the other zodiac spirits. She came to his side, checking the young boy over for any injuries.

So far, there seemed to be none, aside from the slap mark on his cheek. Loke looked up at her, and was shocked to see how much taller she was than him. He got up from the ground.

"Aries?" he whispered.

He was shocked at how high pitched his own voice was. How could this be happening? As far as Loke knew, there was no time in his existence when he was a child. Heck his body was the same way ever since he came into existence! So why was he like this now? This wasn't real, was it?!

It was then that Loke felt the pain of the slap. Something hot and wet streamed down the side of his face. He touched his cheek, and the little lion spirit gasped slightly.

'_Tears?' _he asked himself. Why was he crying? Loke looked to the other spirits for answers, yet they didn't answer him. Even Aries didn't respond. '_Why…?' _his mind whispered.

"Aww, is the little kitten crying?" His little cat ears perked up, and he turned to the mermaid. His frustration spiked.

"I'm not a kitten!" Loke yelled, but his childish voice betrayed him. Aquarius smirked at him.

"But you've got the tail and ears to prove it," she answered. "How could a little kitten lead us?"

A shiver ran up the little zodiac's spine. He felt it there once more. Sure enough, he had a tan colored tail again, with a tuft of fur on the end of it. His pupils became the size of pinpricks, horror coursing through him. Loke collapsed onto his knees, his hands on the ground. Claws had formed at the ends of his fingers.

The tears came faster down his cheeks. He whimpered quietly like a lost kitten. Loke's body trembled slightly. His glasses coming off and falling to the ground. Yet he didn't care. At this point, the little lion spirit was beginning to accept this painful reality. Loke was nothing more than a kid. He wasn't the Leader of the Zodiacs as he perceived. A little kitten and nothing more.

All the while, the Spirit King watched. His heart ached for the little spirit. Yet there was nothing else he could do. Perhaps it was too much for the kid to take on the title of Zodiac this early. If he waited another thousand years, then maybe Leo would be ready to take his place. Maybe the kid wasn't ready for a key in general. It was then he decided to end this problem.

"Capricorn," the king called. Said goat spirit appeared right before him.

"Take Leo back to your home where you are raising him. This is all too much for him to handle. Perhaps...he is not ready to be a zodiac, let alone have a master. We'll wait another thousand years." Loke perked up when he heard these words come from the king himself.

"I understand," the goat spirit responded. "It is past the time he should be asleep anyway." He began walking towards Loke. Only one thought ran through his mind at the moment, and that was his master.

"B..but...Lu...Lucy…" the little lion sniffled. "My...my mas...master…" They all looked at him with confusion.

"Lucy?" Aquarius asked. "Sounds like the name of a brat." He looked over at the mermaid in shock.

'_No...please…' _Little Loke begged the heavens above.

"Lucy?" he heard the king say. "I have never met one called Lucy. And you do not have a master yet." His fears were confirmed that instant.

His head hung low, and tears fell to the ground. Lucy didn't exist at all. The one he loved, the one who saved him...was just a figment of his imagination.

"He requires rest, Spirit King," Capricorn stated. "That is why he is making things up." The humanoid goat spirit stood in front of the little lion spirit. "Come, Young Leo. It is time for you to rest."

Loke felt Capricorn's gentle hands on his sides. He picked up the little spirit and held him tight, while grabbing his glasses and putting them on his face. The goat spirit nodded to the king in respect, then began to walk away.

Loke clung to Capricorn's suit, the tears falling faster. He sobbed into the goat's spirit's shirt, pain within his heart.

'_Why?!' _he thought. "_Why is everything a lie?! Everyone is gone! Lucy...Gray...Natsu...everyone...help me! Please!' _He saw the images of his friends and family from Fairy Tail in his mind. Memories. It only made him sob harder.

The rest of the spirits looked in his direction, pain in their hearts. They had feared that Leo wouldn't be able to handle the title, and they were correct. The last position in the Zodiac would have to remain empty for now until they found another spirit to take his place. The others turned back to the king.

"Let us begin again," he stated.

His little cat ears perked up at the king's words. Yet there was nothing he could do about it. Capricorn held a tight grip on him, and Loke knew that his small size wouldn't be able to stand a chance against him. All the little lion spirit could do was just close his eyes. There was nothing else in the universe he could do than accept his fate.

"_Yo, Loke!" _He knew that voice.

'_Natsu?' _Loke asked. Natsu's voice came to him again.

"_You ready to fight me again? Last time it was a tie. Loser has to treat the other to three meals! Fight me!" _

"_Not today Natsu. Lucy's not feeling the greatest. I have to make sure she's alright." _

"_Fire Dragon's Roar!" _

"_Natsu!"_

'_Oi, Loke,' _That voice was familiar too.

'_Gray?' _he questioned.

"_You came here to the guild? Good timing. Flame brain over there decided to experiment with the tables to see which could catch on fire first. The one covered in beer, or the one without it. Either way, they're both destroyed, and we have to clean. Mind helping?" _

"_It's your fault Ice Princess!" _Natsu was heard again.

"_It was your idea idiot!" _Gray yelled.

"_Loke?" _His eyes widened.

'_Lucy?' _Loke called.

"_Do you mind helping me out here?" _She had asked.

"_Anything for you, Princess." _He had replied without question

"_Why do you call me that?" _Lucy asked.

"_Huh?" _He was confused.

"_Why do you call me Princess?" _Ah, that was what it was. He answered her.

"_Lucy, to me you are higher than all royalty. You're also the best master I've ever had. And the best lady I've ever met too." _

"_Shut it Loke!" _Lucy had yelled.

"_Oh Princess! You wound me!"_

Something welled up inside of him. A mysterious energy. Loke could still hear the king in the background, reciting the same words that were for his ceremony. The tears were still falling from his eyes, and his little body began to tremble slightly. He felt cold. His hands began to grip Capricorn's shirt harder. The goat spirit noticed this.

"Young Leo?" he heard Capricorn say. But Loke didn't pay attention.

"...stop…" the little lion spirit whispered. A slight sense of pain was forming in his goat spirit stopped his progression towards the door. The young boy's body shook.

"Stop..." he said. This time, Capricorn heard it.

A dark aura began to form around Loke. The pain increased. His bones and muscles ached. He gritted his teeth.

'_Make it stop!' _he silently begged. The little lion spirit felt as if he was in a strong wind, and everything was bearing down on him. At last, he couldn't take the pain and suffering anymore. It was all let out. Capricorn felt his grip on the young boy loosen, and he let go.

"**RRRRAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" **A sound that could only be described as a lion's roar echoed throughout the palace.

It caught the attention of all the zodiacs and the king as well. And the source of the sound was Loke himself. But before anyone could do anything about the boy, a bright light engulfed them all, making them unable to see what was going on.

Then, the light dissipated. The eleven zodiacs looked on with shock as the young spirit that stood there moments ago was gone. In his place was a huge lion, taller than Capricorn. Its fur was golden as well as its mane. But the most noticeable feature were the fierce, hazel colored eyes that the beast possessed. And there was no doubt in anyone's mind that he was angry.

The dark aura began to burst forth from the beast, covering him like a blanket. The beast growled, the whites of its eyes becoming blood red, and thus the aura fled from its owner towards the other spirits. They fought back against it, repelling it with all their might. Even the king began to make an effort. Yet this was all in vain, as the beast charged forward.

It jumped over the spirits with a mighty bound and landed in front of Aquarius. The Water Bearer was prepared to fight. Nevertheless, the beast swatted her away with just one paw strike, sending her to the ground. The others called out her name, as well as the beast's, but it didn't pay attention.

Aquarius felt it land on top of her, pinning her down in an instant. There was nothing she could do. The beast was too strong for anyone to handle. Claws scratched against her skin, revealing gold-colored blood. Aquarius, for the first time in a very long time, was afraid.

"Leo!" she called out, hoping to snap him out of the daze. Yet nothing worked against the beast. It growled, then leaned forward, ready to take the life of the Water Bearer. But when all hope for the mermaid seemed lost, the beast stopped. It felt something.

"_Loke!" _Natsu.

"_Loke!" _Gray.

"_Loke!" _Lucy.

His name, they called him. They pounded against him like a heartbeat. The aura began to vanish, until there was nothing left of it. His eyes turned back to normal.

Its hazel eyes saw the sight in front of him. Aquarius was pinned and bleeding under him. His jaws were ready to kill. He was horrified beyond comparison. It was at this moment his body went into shock, losing the grip on the mermaid. He fell off to the side, releasing her. Then, everything went dark.

* * *

"NO!"

Loke sat up swiftly, ignoring the pain he had obtained earlier. He was sweating heavily, his breaths coming out fast. Hazel eyes trailed along the stone cold floor of the cell, trying to forget the events he had just witnessed. A brief thought flashed through him, and he checked himself over.

Adult body. Ragged clothing. Dirty glasses. Claw-like fingernails. And, most importantly of all, tail. Once Loke realized he was still semi-normal, he leaned back and flopped onto the ground, exhausted. His breaths still came in fast and steady. The chains clattered beside him, and he felt the zodiac necklace upon his chest. This was all reality, his reality he realized.

'_All of it...was a dream…' _Loke thought to himself. '_Just...a dream…' _

In actuality, the lion spirit was relieved that nothing he witnessed was real to begin with. Yet it still gave him chills that ran up his spine. It all seemed real. Too real if he had to say anything about it. It even gave him a little bit of false hope.

Loke wanted to return home. Return to his friends and family at Fairy Tail. They were the ones who broke him out of that dream. Their voices filled him with hope. Hope in which, at the time, helped the little boy get through it all. Even when there was no one else out there to help them.

He still wasn't comfortable with that situation either. As a spirit, when he came into existence, there was no "childhood" in a sense. Loke looked the same way he did back then as he did now, besides the stuff from the serum. But when he became a child, the world felt different to him. Like there was no one with him. Not only that, but Loke just felt powerless against all of the spirits.

And then afterward...the lion spirit didn't want to think about it. Regardless if it was a dream or not, Loke had attacked Aquarius, causing her to not only be afraid of him, but also bleed. He had caused harm whether he liked it or not. He was the beast. And while the lion spirit didn't get a good look at himself when he was in that "beast form," it didn't take much to tell him that he became a monster in that short instant.

At the moment, he wasn't so sure how he felt. Insecure? Was that the word for it? Loke no longer trusted himself. He didn't feel as confident as he did earlier, and he certainly didn't feel safe at all. His thoughts went back to earlier when he had attacked Joseph out of rage. The incident that sparked this whole event.

The only thing Loke could do now to make himself feel better was to lean against the wall. He hugged his knees tight, his tail wrapping around them to make them feel more secure. The lion spirit's head was touching the tops of his knees, daring to not look up at the world in front of him. For the moment, all he wanted to do was stay in this position and nothing more.

Loke was cold, despite having clothes on. He hugged his body closer to himself, keeping the warmth in, as well as making his spirits feel better. His cat ears perked up, trying to hear if anyone was coming. Thankfully no one was at the moment. He gritted his teeth together, as a single tear hit the frame of his glasses.

Whether he liked it or not, there was no way Loke was leaving unchanged.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**That is the end of Chapter 4! Yee!**

**I actually really liked the way this chapter came out. Not going to lie, my heart was pounding when I wrote Loke's dream sequence. It was an idea that had been floating around in my mind for such a long time, yet I didn't know how to execute it. And then the words just came out, and this happened. And I gotta say, it went really well.**

**Yes yes, I know Loke seems a little, well a lot, OC. But the way I see it, one of the reasons I began this story was to draw out the "serious" Loke that existed before he met Lucy and was still with Karen. So he's obviously not the usual playboy Loke we all know and love, but a little of that former attitude came out regarding his talk with Joseph.**

**Lastly, thank you to all those who favorited and followed this story! It means a lot to me! **

**Until next time, See Ya Universe!**

**Palkia **


	6. Claws of Reality

**Author's Note**

**Hello Universe! Welcome to chapter 5 of this very awesome and very amazing story! Yee!**

**Thank you to everyone who favorited and followed this story! It means a lot to me!**

**Now, let's get right to it!**

**I do not own Fairy Tail**

**Chapter 5**

**Claws of Reality**

The dreams never stopped after that. That first time was only the beginning for Loke. Whenever he fell asleep or was pulled into unconsciousness, the lion spirit would fall into a world that wasn't his own. And while it took him time to realize that these dreams weren't part of his reality, they still left a lasting impact on Loke. So much so that it scared him.

Sometimes, Loke would wake up and find himself as a five year old boy again. His mindset would change along with it, still being confused about what was going on in the lion spirit's world. He felt different, both physically and mentally when he awakened in one of his dreams. And it wasn't just in his small size either.

Every time he woke up as a young boy in his dreams, there would be different scenarios. Different consequences. Different realities. Nothing was the same as it was before. One time Loke awoke in Capricorn's home, finding out that the goat spirit had been taking care of him since he came into existence. Another time, the lion spirit found himself in his own home, but his room was set to match one that would appeal to a child.

But each dream would end in a similar way. There was always a time when Loke felt he was in a negative mood. Whether it be sad, lonely, even depressed. These dreams ended once the lion spirit reached a certain negative tone because of the events in the dreams. And they affected him in the real world as well. The negative feelings that he felt in his dreams came back to haunt him.

There were times that the other zodiacs would be laughing and making fun of him for being so weak and defenseless. Sometimes Aries would come and defend him. Other times Aries would stand off to the side, scared and afraid for herself. But these weren't the worst scenarios he was in. Sure, Loke still felt horrible after those types of dreams. Yet these weren't as bad as others.

It was the dreams that involved himself as a young boy and Fairy Tail. There were times that Loke would come into the guild, only to be turned down by the members of the guild when it came to taking a job. Sometimes he wouldn't be accepted into the guild at all because he was too young, despite the fact that he knew the master would accept anyone. And, worst of all…

"But I...I…" the young little lion spirit sniffled. "I...can help you! I'll do anything! Princess, please!"

Lucy however, didn't agree with him. She knew he didn't have enough magic power to take on the dark guild. Not only that, Lucy knew that the young Loke didn't have enough courage to fight either.

"No Loke," Lucy told him, leaning down to touch his head.

She brushed her hand through his golden hair, passing by his little cat ears. He blushed furiously, but tried not to show it. Yet the tears did not stop. Loke looked up at her, tail swishing wildly. He just felt so useless now, and couldn't do anything about it.

"It's too dangerous for you," his master said. "We can handle it. Besides, I can just summon another spirit to take care of it. Don't worry." Loke wasn't convinced. He just wanted to keep his master safe. And he would do anything.

"Please...I want to help you... any way I can…" he cried.

"I'll be fine Loke, I promise," she reassured him. "I've got Natsu, Gray, and Erza with me. It'll be okay."

Lucy walked away. Nevertheless, Loke chased after her, but he was slower than he usually was thanks to his small size. By the time the little lion spirit caught up with her, she was with the rest of Team Natsu. He felt embarrassed to go forward, since he would be showing himself in front of everyone, but Loke mustered up the courage to go up.

"Lucy...I…" Loke began, his little voice whispering. He was so ashamed of himself. They all turned to him, and this time, Lucy was a little annoyed.

"Loke, I told you not to worry about me," she said in an annoyed tone.

He sniffled and looked down at the ground. Happy, seeing the little spirit, looked interested.

"Lushi," he said. "Is that your lion spirit? He's so cool!"

Lucy huffed, a glare forming on her face. "Not now Happy!" she complained. "And Loke's not staying around. He's going back to the Spirit World."

The little lion spirit looked up at her, a few tears in his eyes. His tail was low, and his ears were lowered in sadness.

"Please...don't send me away...I don't want to go back…" Loke begged.

She ignored him, pulling out his key from her ring. "Close, gate of the Lion!" Lucy shouted.

He felt the familiar tug of the Spirit World pull at his soul. He tried to resist, but his magic reserve wasn't enough, since he was a child. His body began to fizzle in and out. Loke's vision became blurry, but he tried to focus.

"I'm begging you, please!" he cried, tears flowing faster. "I don't want to go back! Princess!"

But she ignored him. The others walked away, giving him sad glares.

"I don't want to be alone! Please!" His vision was becoming unclear, as he felt consciousness slip away from him.

"LUCY!"

That was when everything went dark.

It was then that he wanted to see his master more than ever. Loke felt so alone in that cell ever since the dreams began. Yet at the same time, he wanted to stay away from everyone. Not only was he having dreams with himself as a young boy, but also as the beast from his first dream.

Loke wasn't so sure which one was more terrifying. These dreams made him feel afraid of himself. There were times when he would attack the other spirits in rage. Loke couldn't control himself either. And the lion spirit would just gain control at the very end, seeing the horrifying actions he committed. He attacked Aquarius. Even Aries. The gold colored blood was on his claws.

Even worse, Loke became a beast around the members of the guild. He would attack them, a rage filled aura surrounding his very being. Some of the members would fight back against him, like Elfman and Laxus. They would try to snap him out of it, and many times, it was too late. Loke had injured Levy once, and somehow put Erza in a coma.

Out of all those dreams, the worst was the time he attacked his master.

"Loke please!" Lucy cried out to him.

At that moment, Loke no longer looked like himself. He was now the large beast from his nightmares, surrounded by a black aura. The white of his eyes were red, and he was no longer in control. The lion spirit could only watch as he stalked his master.

After losing control of himself and transforming into a beast, Loke had chased his master into a corner, ignoring the attacks from the other guild members. They tried their best to fend him off, but nothing worked. Loke just fended off their attacks with ease. Fire, ice, lightning, nothing worked. He attacked them as well, sending them into unconsciousness.

He saw Lucy crying, terrified at the lion spirit in front of her.

"Snap out of it!" she begged. "This isn't you! You're Loke of Fairy Tail! Leo the Lion! That's who you are! Not this!"

Her pleas fell on supposedly deaf ears as he still advanced towards her. Yet Loke still heard her, but couldn't control his body. He wanted to tell Lucy he heard her, but the black aura didn't allow him to.

It was then that he pounced on the Celestial Spirit Mage. His body weight was too much for her to handle, and thus she was pinned to the ground. He growled, his eyes showing a piercing gaze. Loke bared his teeth, revealing sharp fangs. His claws dug into her arms, drops of crimson falling to the ground.

"Stop Loke!" she pleaded.

But it was no use. He snarled at her in response. Then, he lifted his head back, mouth open. Lucy was crying, scared of the fact that the monster before her was her faithful lion spirit. He wouldn't stay like this forever would he? She hoped not. She only had one last idea left. It was then that the lion spirit's jaws came down on her.

"LOKEEEEE!" Lucy yelled out with all her might.

At the last second, Loke gained control of his body, and stopped. His jaws were inches from her neck. The lion spirit's eyes were back to normal, and his pupils were the size of pinpricks. He got off of Lucy and backed away immediately, horror coursing through him.

'_What...what have I done?' _he thought to himself. Loke backed away more from his master. '_I'm...a monster…' _

All he could think about at the moment was flee. And flee he did, regardless of the one who was shouting his name endlessly, begging him to come back. Nevertheless, he kept running.

He just wanted to run away, and never return to Lucy. Loke committed the worst crime he could ever have done, and that was nearly killing his master. Before he could run any farther, a bolt of lightning hit him, paralyzing his body in place. Loke knew it was most likely from Laxus. It didn't matter, as he felt consciousness leave his system. At last, everything went black.

When Loke woke up from that dream, he nearly wrapped the chains around his legs twice, in fear he would go on a rampage again. Yet when the lion spirit realized that he was in reality, he unwrapped the chains and let his body slide against the wall to the floor in defeat. Never in his life had Loke felt fear such as this.

The lion spirit became afraid of two things after these dreams. The first and foremost problem was losing himself. He could not afford to lose his mind and sanity, especially in this situation of all things. It would lead him to be more vulnerable to Karen. And with how she is now, anything could happen, even the worst possible things imaginable.

The second problem was to not lose faith in others. While his dreams consisted of those who constantly gave up on him to those who downright hated him, these were not real to begin with. Not only that, if Loke ever broke out of here at some point, he could not blame the others, especially Lucy since her summonings indirectly caused him pain, for the longevity of imprisonment.

There was absolutely no way to find him, that he knew for sure. No contact with the Celestial Spirit World meant no connection with spirits living there, including the king. Karen had mentioned it herself that the necklace around his neck also prevented connections to spirits in general, so that also included the higher up ones as well.

Not only that, but there was no way of tracking Loke either. The golden chains around his wrists and ankles limited the amount of magic he could use. And after seeing how much of Lion Brilliance could be used, since it was a very powerful spell to begin with, the chances of his magic being traceable were next to none.

So he promised two things to himself after the first week of dreams; 1. To not lose himself to false reality, and 2. Don't blame others after it's all over. These were definitely daunting tasks, but it gave Loke something to focus on. He had been kept here for over a month now. Having nothing to do would most likely drive him insane, as it has done to the past to beings.

Yet there wasn't a day that had gone by without the thought of Lucy. His beautiful master. He missed her so much. His heart ached every time he thought of the blonde haired celestial mage. She meant everything to him. Lucy was his world. Yet now, Loke was apart from her, and wanted her company badly.

These were the thoughts that kept him going in this prison. Loke has something to look forward to when he was free. Seeing the other spirits. Seeing his guild mates. Seeing Lucy. He held all of these people near and dear to his heart. To lose them meant Loke had lost himself. He had to believe in the fact that at some point, they'll realize he's missing.

But that also brought up the question; Did they not know that he was missing to begin with? A while back, about three weeks ago, Lucy had tried to summon him, three times Loke may add. And those weren't the most pleasant of times, since he was shocked by the necklace around his neck. But could she really have given up summoning him for three weeks? That was probably the longest time that there have been no summoning calls, besides Tenrou of course.

The new question was why she wasn't summoning him in the first place. Even by now, Lucy would've wanted to check up on the lion spirit. Loke just doesn't disappear for three weeks without saying anything. And what reason would he have to disappear for that amount of time other than this? If Loke was gone for this amount of time, he would've at least let his beautiful master know if his absence.

Not to mention the time passage in the Spirit World as well. He was gone for a month by now in Earthland time. Translate that into Spirit World time, and that's approximately eight hours. Unless they didn't have a master since they would be restricted to the Spirit World, spirits usually only stayed in Earthland for maybe at most three days in the most extreme circumstances. Equate that to Spirit World time and spirits were gone for about an hour.

One hour Spirit World equaled to give or take three days in Earthland. For him to be missing for a month translated to eight hours. Someone would've noticed his absence by now. If not, well either the Spirit World's collapsing in on itself or there's a war going on and no one bothered to check in on him. Either way, it wasn't a good sign for Loke.

His question was how did the Spirit King not notice his lack of presence in their world. It was a common thing for the king to know where spirits are. Had something happened in the Spirit World? Maybe they were having a meeting or something, a way to rescue him perhaps. Yes, that had to be it. Maybe it took hours on end or something? No, that couldn't be it.

All Loke knew was that something was brewing in both the Spirit World and Earthland. Whether it was something good or bad, he had a feeling that he was a part of it. For now, the lion spirit would have to hold on until he either escaped on his own, or his friends and family came to rescue him.

The door to his cell opened, and in walked Joseph once more. Whatever would happen next all depended on how he handled it. And Loke was sure to not lose whatever he had left of himself.

* * *

To say Lucy was having the time of her life was an understatement. Oh she was definitely enjoying this event to the fullest.

It had been about eight hours since she and her fellow guild members had been whisked away to the Celestial Spirit World. An unfortunate message from Virgo notified them of the situation at hand. There was something happening, something big going on, in the Spirit World. And, thinking it was a disaster, they were taken there immediately.

Turns out the so-called "disaster" was a huge party meant for Lucy and her friends.

All of Lucy's spirits, and even the Spirit King himself, decided to put together a party for them in honor of their miraculous return from Tenrou Island. And boy, was it a party. There was so much food on tables that Lucy didn't even know that that much food existed in the first place.

"Hold it Flame-Brain! You're taking all the food!" she heard Gray shout from afar.

"It's not my fault that everything here looks so good!" Natsu replied stuffing his face full of food.

"Aye!" Happy agreed with him.

"Oi! Save some for everyone else idiot!" the ice mage started yelling at him.

Unfortunately for Natsu, he realized that he was eating crab and lamb in front of Cancer and Aries, and promptly decided to stop eating.

Lucy sighed in defeat. She then turned to see Aquarius and Juvia talking with each other. The two seemed to have become friends, which to her relief, was a good thing. At first Lucy was afraid that something might happen, since the last time Aquarius really ever interacted with Juvia was when they were at the Tower of Heaven. Yet the two of them holding hands showed a sign of a good friendship.

She then looked off to her right, seeing Levy in wonder and awe as she talked to Crux. Lucy noticed that the blue haired mage even had a book in her grasp. She smiled at her friend, noting how another friendship was being formed. The blonde haired mage had a feeling that the Southern Cross had given her that book in the first place.

It was then that Lucy began to appreciate everything that all of her spirits had done for her up to this point. To go as far as preparing a party and also allowing them access to the Spirit World was unheard of everywhere. Even more so was the fact that they were the first humans to come to the Spirit World which was a huge honor. It was truly the best party she had gone to in a very long time.

Yet, there was something...missing. Lucy couldn't put her finger on it. Maybe it was a person? She looked around, noting how all of her friends were chatting with her spirits.

'_Let's see…' _Lucy thought. '_Natsu and Gray are with Aries and Cancer, oh gods is he really eating that in front of them?! Never mind. Juvia's with Aquarius. Levy's with Crux. Erza's with...oh geez. Taurus better know what he's getting in to.'_

'_Lyra's playing music. Horologium, Wendy, Carpicorn are talking with each other. Sagittarius and Scorpio are probably talking about girls. Virgo's...I'm not going to ask. Gemini and Pyxis are with Happy and Carla who are with Plue and the other Nikora doing whatever they do. Moustache-man was just here a moment ago...something's not right.'_

Her friend were all here. Yet there seemed to be someone missing. She counted again.

'_Okay, Natsu, Gray, Erza, Wendy, Juvia, Levy, Happy, and Carla all came with me. They're all here.' _A thought popped up in the back of her mind to check the spirits for some odd reason.

'_Why would I have to count them? They're all here aren't they? I didn't summon anyone today.'_

Nevertheless, Lucy began to count them.

'_Okay, silver keys first. I have five. Crux, Horologium, Lyra, Plus, and Pyxis. They're all here.' _

Now all she had to do was count the gold keys. For some reason, a shiver went up her spine when she thought of it. It wasn't even cold there. Lucy felt a lingering feeling in the back of her mind. Was someone missing from the zodiac?

'_Gold keys next. Ten of them. Let's see...Aquarius, Cancer, Taurus, Virgo, Sagittarius, Loke, Gemini, Aries, Scorpio, and Capricorn. One, two, three, four…' _A feeling of dread crossed her mind. '_I'm only counting nine. Why am I only counting nine?' _

She counted the zodiac spirits she had again, and still only came up with nine. Lucy wasn't going insane was she? '_Okay. I see Aquarius, Cancer, Taurus, Virgo, Sagittarius, Loke…'_

Only problem was that the lion spirit was nowhere in sight.

'_Where's Loke?' _Lucy thought to herself.

She hadn't seen the lion spirit for about a week. Even when she tried to summon him this morning, he didn't come. At first Lucy thought that Loke was ditching her for a date, but when she found out about the party, she thought that maybe he was helping the other spirits prepare. Yet he wasn't here.

Come to think of it, Loke didn't show up at all during the duration of the party so far. Lucy hasn't even heard a single flirt or greeting from him at all. He couldn't possibly be on a date now of all times? She knew that Loke was better than that. Heck wouldn't the Spirit King banish him again if he didn't show up to this? And he cared about Lucy so much to begin with! So why wasn't he here?

Another thought occurred in her mind. It was possible that Loke took a job this morning from the guild. But again, wouldn't he have known about this surprise party as well? Unless Loke wasn't told about it and he didn't come. Maybe the job was that serious and he couldn't come back for now.

Lucy couldn't help but worry for him. A week ago she had turned down Loke's request of taking her out to dinner because she had promised Natsu that she would help him look for his stolen savings. Ever since the team was gone for seven years, there was no doubt that Happy and Natsu's house was raided. The tasked ended in failure, as they couldn't find the money.

She should've explained in further detail about the situation. Lucy was hoping internally that it didn't come off to the lion spirit that she was dating Natsu. Never in a thousand years, she vowed to herself. Yet Lucy had a feeling that Loke took the reception hard on himself. What exactly happened to him that day?

Deciding to move on from that and focus on where Loke currently was, she began to think for a moment.

'_Who would know where that playboy is?' _

Immediately her thoughts turned to Aries, the shy ram spirit who was still talking with Natsu despite the fact that he happened to be eating lamb. She would probably know where Loke was. After all, the two were like brother and sister.

The blonde mage walked towards Aries, hoping that she would have some answers on the lion spirit's whereabouts.

"Aries?" Lucy asked.

Unfortunately she ended up spooking the ram spirit, causing her to flinch at the voice, nearly spilling the drink she was holding. Lucy apologized immediately.

"Oh, sorry about that Aries. I shouldn't have snuck up on you. Anyway, do you mind if I talk to you a little?" She nodded, and the two girls pulled away from the rest of the group.

"Is...everything alright?" the ram spirit asked her. "Are you...are you enjoying the party?" Aries realized afterwards that she probably shouldn't have asked that. "I'm sorry," she apologized.

"No no, I'm enjoying it," Lucy answered her. "In fact maybe a little too much." She laughed at the last part. "All of you did a great job, doing all of this for us. I can't thank you all enough."

The ram spirit blushed a little at the comment. But her head was low for some reason. Lucy noticed this.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Aries nodded her head slowly. Just by the way she was looking, Lucy had a feeling what the issue was, and it didn't make her feel good.

"You wouldn't know where Loke is, would you?" Lucy asked.

But to her surprise, Aries shook her head.

"You haven't seen him either, have you?" she asked nervously.

"No, I was hoping you would know," Lucy answered. "Darn flirt, he's probably out with a few girls right now." The anger in her voice increased as she finished.

"Or...or Leo still has that fever…" Aries whispered off to the side.

"Eh?!" Lucy exclaimed. "Loke has a fever? I thought spirits didn't get sick?"

"We don't, but…" Aries trailed off. "We...weren't sure how he got sick...in the first place. Leo...might still be at his home. I...I can take you there if you like."

Lucy looked back at the party. Her friends were all having a good time so far. It wouldn't hurt to walk away for a bit.

Besides, she would be able to see more of the Spirit World if she went with Aries. Not to mention of the Zodiacs' houses! Lucy has heard legends of how extravagant each house was. And besides, she really needed to say something to the poor lion spirit.

"If you don't mind," Lucy told her. Aries nodded and lead the way.

The two walked through paths of stars, by rivers made of the night sky, even across bridges made of heavenly light. Lucy looked around in awe and wonder at how majestic and elegant the Spirit World was. This compared to nothing in Earthland. It was in a category all of its own. She wanted to come back here again sometime.

"Why do you wish to talk to Leo?" Aries asked. Lucy sighed, and the ram spirit knew she shouldn't have asked that. "I'm sorry!" she immediately apologized.

But Aries' master only smiled. She knew just how the ram spirit acted, apologizing for everything. Yet she did ask Lucy about something, and the blonde would keep her promise at answering the question.

"I...I may have…" her head was low. "I may have accidentally hurt Loke…" Lucy said.

"Hurt Leo?" Aries echoed. The spirit mage nodded.

"Not on purpose. He came by the guild one night and well…" She paused for a moment, then continued. "I think I hurt his feelings unintentionally."

"Loke came to see me, and he asked me to go out to dinner with him. And well, I couldn't. I had promised Natsu that I would help him find his savings. After the whole seven years fiasco, his house probably got robbed of the money, but I promised to help him. And I never go back on my promises. I should've explained it more."

The two continued to walk along a crystal bridge. "Even though I just told him that I was going to help Natsu, and then I said afterwards that maybe we could go out another time, I think Loke may have taken it to heart. He walked away from me, and after that, he just left."

"But even before then, Loke didn't look well. Emotionally I mean. And now, I think I made it worse. So I wanted to go and apologize to him." She looked over at the ram spirit.

"Aries, I want to know if anything happened before he came to visit the guild. Did something make him feel, well, down?"

Aries thought back to that moment. She nodded.

"Please don't tell him that I told you this. He...might get mad at me…" Aries softly begged.

"Aries, you know by now that I keep my promises," Lucy reassured her. "I promise not to tell him, alright? You can trust me."

The ram spirit looked at the blonde mage, and Lucy swore she saw a little bit of confidence in her eyes. Aries nodded, and began.

"Well, it was after I helped you defeat that dark guild," she said. " Leo was injured in that fight…"

Lucy remembered that. It was after an accidental misfire from Natsu as he unleashed a Fire Dragon's Roar in the lion spirit's path. It didn't take long for him to get sent back to the Spirit World. Not to mention how concerned she was after Loke had gotten attacked.

"I remember that," Lucy told her. "He got sent back after getting burned accidentally by Natsu. Loke didn't look good either. I summoned you after that." Aries nodded, then continued.

"I...went to check on him later on...and he…" she trailed off. "I'm sorry," Aries apologized. She was nervous about saying the rest.

"It's okay Aries, just tell me," Lucy said.

"Leo asked me if he was weak."

Lucy stopped walking, shock coming into her system. She never imagined Loke saying anything like that. The blonde mage knew the answer to that question. Of course he wasn't weak! Loke was strong and Lucy knew it. But to think that the lion spirit had so much doubt in his abilities astonished her. How could he, Leo the Lion, the strongest and Leader of the Zodiacs, not have faith in himself?

"He said that?" Lucy asked.

Aries nodded. "I told him no, then asked him why he would think such a thing. He is the Leader of all of us and the strongest. Leo keeps us in order. If he didn't, well...we would...probably be fighting each other. All of us."

Lucy looked over at her in surprise. "The title of Leader is that serious isn't it?" Lucy asked.

"Yes," the ram spirit said.

"The title of Leader has been fought over for a long time. Aquarius has wanted it so she could do things her way."

Lucy could hardly imagine the Zodiacs being united under the mermaid.

"In the past other spirits have fought for it. In the end, the Spirit King chose Leo, for not only us, but for all spirits. He keeps us in line…" It was then Aries realized that she was getting off topic. "I'm sorry, I'm getting off topic."

"No it's fine," Lucy told her.

The blonde mage never imagined Loke's life to be that stressful. He always seemed carefree, and unfortunately full of flirts, whenever he came around. The only real time she had seen Loke be serious was when he was dying. And that was when he tried to persuade her to not save him. How much pressure is on the lion spirit every day?

"Continue," Lucy said.

Aries nodded. They were about halfway to the Zodiac houses by now. "Leo then told me that you haven't been summoning him lately," she replied.

Lucy felt her breath hitch in her throat. She couldn't help but think that she unintentionally contributed to his thoughts. Maybe Lucy would be able to make amends when they arrived at his home. She could help make a time that was good for both of them regarding dinner.

"He also said that every time he was summoned, he was defeated rather quickly because of his injuries," the ram spirit continued. "Leo questioned if he was weaker since he couldn't beat anyone."

Now that she thought of it, Lucy did see Loke get rather upset when he found out that Natsu punched him out of the brawl at the guildhall. She even saw how charred his clothing had become in the aftermath of it. Could his pride also have gone down?The blonde mage nodded for her to continue.

"Lastly, he said that he didn't deserve the title Leader and that he should give it to someone else…"

Lucy didn't know what to say. Loke was very good when it came to concealing his feelings. And unfortunately he had done it long enough for him to feel this way. If only she had known sooner, then maybe she could've done something to help him. Yet how could Loke be weaker than before?

"What did you say?" Lucy asked.

Aries was a little embarrassed to tell her thoughts, but she told her. "I...I told him to not give up his title...and that the Spirit King gave it to him because he deserved it." The ram spirit worries she said too much again.

"I'm sorry…" she trailed off. But Lucy was proud of her for sticking up and telling Loke her thoughts.

"Leo thanked me for that," Aries said. "But then…" She stopped walking. Lucy stopped as well.

"What happened?" The blonde asked.

"He...he collapsed…" the ram spirit whispered. Lucy's eyes widened in shock.

"Leo had a fever, so I went to go get the Spirit King, but...by the time we got back...he was gone…"

The celestial spirit mage knew what Aries meant by gone. Loke had gone to Earthland in hopes that Lucy would cheer him up. But that didn't work, since he took it too much to heart and left the guildhall that night. And no one has seen or heard from him since. Supposedly. She noticed how down Aries was feeling at the moment. She put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'll talk to him," she reassured the ram spirit. "I won't tell him what you told me. But, I'll get him out of that negative state one way or another. Okay?"

Lucy saw some confidence return into Aries' eyes, and the spirit nodded. With that, they continued their walk towards Loke's house.

All the while, the two talked about different things. Aries gave a little bit more info on the Spirit World, the best places to go and whatnot and also which areas are off limits. Lucy was able to give the poor ram spirit some confidence lessons, like what to do in a situation and what not to do. Eventually, they somehow got on the topic of guys.

"Do you like Natsu?" Aries asked nervously. But she quickly apologized afterwards. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's okay Aries," Lucy told her. "Besides, that ship has sunk anyway. He's too dense, and doesn't listen to me sometimes. I swear all he cares about is beating someone up most of the time."

"Leo likes you," the ram spirit whispered. Lucy heard it anyway.

"Pfft," she huffed. "Yeah right," the blonde stated. "He constantly flirts with me. The next thing I know, Loke's with three other girls across the room from me."

She sighed, remembering the usual playboyish actions that the lion spirit would constantly exhibit. Yet off to her side, she saw Aries slowly shake her head.

"He...told me he hasn't gone on any dates while you were gone…" she said. "Leo talks about you often. Sometimes he talks about what he needs to do to get you to notice his love…"

It was then that Aries realized that she shouldn't have said anything. "I'm sorry! I really shouldn't have said that, I…" But her master wasn't paying any attention to her.

'_Loke really did that?' _Lucy thought to herself. '_Is he that serious about me?' _She looked down, guilt washing over her.

'_That's why he asked me out to dinner. Loke seemed so serious at that time. And I told him no. God, I feel so bad.' _

"We're here," Aries mentioned to her.

Lucy looked up, and she was in awe. In front of her were the twelve zodiac constellations off in the distance. Each more extravagant and elegant every time she gazed at them. She saw Aries' constellation, which was the closest to them. Lucy looked towards the rest of the constellations, knowing each and every one of them. However, she noticed something odd.

"Why is Loke's constellation flashing?"

"What?" the ram spirit asked.

But she then noticed that in fact, the constellation that was connected to the lion spirit was indeed _flashing. _No, more like flickering. The stars themselves weren't holding a steady glow anymore. Their light was going bright then dark, bright then dark. Yet they did not go out completely.

What spooked Aries the most was that even Regulus, the heart of the lion, was also flickering as well. She grew scared. An event like this hasn't happened since Leo was banished and he was about to die. The ram spirit ran ahead of Lucy, desperate to get to Leo's home, in order to make sure that he was alright.

"Aries!" the blonde mage called after her. Nevertheless, Lucy ran off to catch up with the ram spirit.

"What's going on?!" She managed to catch up with her. "What's happening with Loke's constellation?!" Fear began to rise in her system, more so than earlier when she realized the lion spirit was missing.

"When...a spirit's constellation...flickers…" Aries said between breaths. "It means...that a spirit's emotions have gone into a state in which they are struggling with pain. At least...that's one of the interpretations of it."

"When was the last time this happened?" Lucy asked, a bit of fear and nervousness in her voice.

"When Leo...was dying…" Aries whispered.

The celestial spirit mage felt her heart quicken. She began to run faster than the ram spirit. Loke couldn't be dying, could he? No, that was impossible. Unless he was kept out of the Spirit World. However, Lucy had his key. So how was that possible? Was there another way to kill a Celestial Spirit then?

They both eventually made it to his constellation, where Lucy noted how even Regulus, where Loke drew most of his magic power from, was also dim and flickering. When she turned, her eyes widened at the huge mansion in front of her. This was Loke's home. A golden colored mansion just like the color of his key.

"This is where he lives?" she said to herself. Aries came running behind her.

"Do all of the spirits' houses look like this?" Lucy asked.

"Leo's home is the largest," the ram spirit answered. "Our houses don't look the same. And they're not all gold colored either. But...his is the largest because of his standing so…"

She went up to the door and knocked on it, hoping that the lion spirit would answer. But he didn't.

"Leo?" Aries asked. "I'm...I'm sorry for bothering you...are you alright?" Still, there was silence from the lion spirit's home. She knocked again.

"Leo? Are you home?" Again, no answer. Lucy felt a pit in her stomach. There was something wrong here, and she knew it.

"Can't we just go in?" Lucy asked.

The ram spirit nodded reluctantly, nervous about barging into Loke's home.

"This is for his own good Aries. Trust me."

Lucy grabbed a hold of the door handle, which was encased in gold. She pulled on it, opening the door. When she saw the scene in front of her, Lucy couldn't help but gasp.

Everything inside was elegant and glittering. The marble floor was shiny and smooth. In the center was a grand staircase that led up to the second floor. Part of the roof was made of glass, and the stars of the celestial sky could be seen. There was no dust or dirt in any inch of the mansion. Talk about tidy.

Lucy couldn't believe it. Compared to the amount of time that Loke came to Earthland, he probably barely used his house. Heck, this place was too big for just one person to use. How could Loke live in a place like this for such a long time? He was a Celestial Spirit too, getting called out often by other owners in the past as well. How the mansion looked so clean and not even dust ridden was beyond her.

"Loke?" the blonde mage yelled.

Still, there was no answer. Aries came up from behind her. "Loke? Are you here at all?" Lucy asked.

Yet, silence persisted. And Lucy wouldn't have any more of it. She began to walk up the stairs.

"Lucy!" the ram spirit said. "I...I don't think it's a good idea to go up there...I'm sorry!" She ignored it.

A feeling of dread was coming over her. She needed to see Loke. She needed to know he was alright.

After climbing up the stairs, Lucy walked down a short hallway, noticing that there was a door on the right that was slightly open. She swallowed a little, nervous about what she would find in there. Would she come across her dying spirit friend? No, he couldn't be dying. But that fever Aries mentioned earlier...could something like that actually hurt him to that extent?

She stood in front of the door, heart pounding in her chest. Lucy didn't want to admit it, but she was afraid to see what was happening inside. If what Aries said was true, and something serious was going on with Loke, what was she going to see. Lucy held her breath, and then went in. There was shock in her eyes, but it was not from what she expected to see. No, it was much worse.

Loke wasn't even in here at all.

Fear and horror coursed through her, realizing now that Loke wasn't in the Spirit World at all. No, it was most likely he was in Earthland. Had something happened to him? Was he captured? That couldn't be true, otherwise Loke would've returned here. So, what then? Maybe he was still in the room and Lucy didn't realize it. But there was no doubt that this was Loke's room, and it had been used recently.

The room itself was huge, with gold crested carvings on the walls and a pristine, white rug that was exceptionally clean. Off to the side was a walk in closet, and the door to it was currently opened. Lucy looked inside the closet, and saw clean and ironed suits hung up on hangers. Not only that, but she saw Loke's casual clothes that he wore from when she first started out as a member of Fairy Tail, and during the S-class trial at Tenrou.

Down below the clothes hung up on the rack was a basket. Lucy noticed how it was another suit, but it was charred from burns. She knew instantly why. It was the same suit that he had worn when he accidentally got attacked by Natsu when they went after that dark guild. Looking up, Lucy saw how one of the hangers was empty. Most likely the new suit he put on after that event.

Yet something didn't add up right in the blonde's mind.

'_Loke's not the type of guy to wear one suit for over a week,' _she pondered. '_There should be more suits in the basket. Wait a minute, Loke came by the guild a few days after that job was done. He would've at least had something else on by now. And those burned clothes would probably have been thrown out already.'_

Lucy looked behind her, and noticed the huge, probably king sized bed with golden sheets and covers. Yet the bed wasn't made. Rather it was in a messy state, the sheets not even straightened or the covers even pulled back in a neat position. She went up to it, pressing her hand on the bed. No warmth. So he hadn't been here recently. This didn't make any sense in the slightest.

Aries slowly came into the room. "Is...is he here?" she asked quietly.

Lucy shook her head. "No," she answered. "And I have a feeling he left a while ago too."

Her eyes caught something off to her right. It was a set of glass doors with curtains in front of them. She walked up to them, pushing away the long fabric and opening the doors. Lucy was mesmerized by the sight.

The glass doors led out to a balcony, one where a person could see the celestial heavens above. Lucy walked out to it, completely in awe. She couldn't believe Loke had something like this! It was astonishing! The blonde mage had no words to describe what a sight it was! But her gaze at the heavens was interrupted when Aries came out to the balcony as well.

"Lucy…" the ram spirit spoke softly. "Have...have you tried summoning him?" Lucy nodded.

"I tried earlier today, three times. Loke didn't come. I thought it was because of the party. But now…" Her head was low. Aries came up beside her, looking down at the keys beside her waist. An idea crossed her mind.

"Maybe, you could close his gate instead?" she mentioned. Aries then realized that it may have been a bad idea. "I'm sorry! It's not the best idea…"

Yet Lucy seemed to understand what she meant, and reached down for her keys. She grabbed the ring, searching for Loke's key. Lucy took it off the ring, gathering magic in her hand.

"It might work," the blonde mentioned. "If I close his gate, then he would be returning here right?" Aries nodded.

"However…" Lucy hummed at the last thought.

She knew exactly how resilient Loke could be. He was one of the few spirits who could hold their own when it came to their master closing their gate on them. Not only that, but Loke has even been able to not go back at all when his owners tried to send him away.

"Loke might resist me," Lucy thought aloud. "My magic isn't strong enough to completely close his gate yet. He still might be able to stay out." It was then that Aries placed her hand on her master's own. Lucy looked over at the ram spirit, surprise overcoming her.

"I'll help," Aries said, with confidence that Lucy had never seen in her before.

"If I recall...A Celestial Spirit's magic should be as powerful as their master…" Aries mentioned. Lucy smiled at her.

"Thank you Aries!" she said. Said ram spirit blushed in embarrassment. "It's worth a try!"

Lucy focused more of her magic into the key. Aries too, focused even more, her hand supporting Lucy's own, doubling the power flowing into the key. Both closed their eyes in focus. They struggled, both giving it their all in hopes of returning the lion spirit to his rightful home.

"CLOSE! GATE...ugh! OF THE..ack! LION!"

* * *

"**RRRRAAAAAHHHRRRR!" **

Another shock went through Loke's system once again. He had heard Lucy's words once again. This time, she tried to return him to the Spirit World, which meant that she knew something must've happened to him. But the shock this time...it was double in power compared to the last one. It was undoubtedly worse. And Loke couldn't handle it this time.

His consciousness began to fade away soon afterward, a bit of hope swelling through his system knowing that his master knew he was missing. She was trying her hardest to find him. A small smile appeared on the lion spirit's face. His body soon hit the stone floor afterward as the world faded from Loke's view.

'_Lucy...please...find me…'_

Across the dimensions in the Celestial Spirit World, Aries and Lucy realized that this didn't work...and hope turned to horror…

* * *

**Author's Note**

**That's the end of Chapter 5! Yee! Let's get into some stuff!**

**Yes, I did decide to return to the Celestial Party in this chapter. The events are mostly similar, minus the new stuff I added in. There isn't much description when it comes to where the spirits live, so I imagined them having homes in their own constellations. Also Loke has the best house, he is the Leader of the Zodiacs after all. Also, at this point, Lucy doesn't know about the time difference. That'll happen later.**

**I also decided to explore the meaning of that title as well. All we've gotten is that "Leo's the Zodiac Leader" and that's about it. He couldn't have just been given that title automatically. I imagine that the Spirit King had to choose out of the twelve for who would keep the order between them. **

**Speaking of which, I decided to go into more depth with Loke's fears. His main purpose as he believes is to only serve his master. He is afraid of being weak and useless, in regards to not being able to help his master, and he is also afraid of himself, for if he loses himself, he could lose everything.**

**Lastly, Tell me what you guys think! I love reviews! They keep me going and let me know you enjoy this story!**

**Until next time, See Ya Universe!**

**Palkia**


	7. Claws of Forbidden Wishes

**Author's Note**

**Hello Universe! Palkia's back here with Chapter 6! Yee! Thank you to all of you who favorited and followed this story! It means a lot! Now let's get into it!**

**I do not own Fairy Tail.**

**Chapter 6**

**Claws of Forbidden Wishes**

Time ran forth at an alarming rate. So much so that Loke couldn't entirely keep up with it. Though who could blame the lion spirit? Especially since he was in constant pain, both physically and mentally. By this point however, the lion spirit was sure that at least two months had passed. Meaning that he had been stuck in Earthland for that amount of time.

At least Loke had a feeling that his master knew that he was missing. But the question was, could she even find him? Of course, Karen most likely made it literally impossible for anyone to find this place, even for the other spirits. Yet Loke had to hold onto some sort of hope that his family and friends would be able to locate him.

These past few weeks however, had dwindled his hope little by little. Joseph still came by every week to give him another dosage of whatever was in that needle. At some points, Loke no longer felt like himself at a variety of times. Not only did he have the features that he obtained from the past few weeks, but there were some new ones as well.

It happened one night when the cell was dark. He had woken up from one of his nightmares again. Surprisingly, the lion spirit felt warm. So much so that he started sweating a little. Maybe Karen had decided to torture him with the heating system or something like that. So in order to cool himself down, Loke unbuttoned his dirty suit jacket, took off his tie, and unbuttoned his white collared shirt.

But when he felt his chest, something was different. The lion spirit did not feel skin, but rather fur. He sent whatever magic was allowed to in his hand, making a small but bright Lion Brilliance. His eyes widened at the sight.

Golden fur plated his entire chest. Loke put his hand on it, feeling an odd sensation go up his spine. Fear flooded his system, and to his surprise, the fur on his chest stood on end. His tail was raised up as well. Thankfully, that was the only place where the golden fur was at the moment.

The second time was the week after that. A few hours after Joseph gave him a dosage, the lion spirit's feet began to hurt. Deciding to figure out what was wrong, Loke began to take off his shoes. Only to have some trouble. He tugged at his right shoe, and eventually it came flying off, and soon was able to get the other one off as well. It was then that Loke realized that his feet were, well, no longer feet.

There were no more peach colored feet, but instead tan colored ones with fur. The toes were closer together and thicker. He walked a little, feeling an odd sensation as his feet touched the ground. There were now black paw pads at the bottom of them. Finally, just like his hands, there were now claws.

It was then that he realized that whatever Joseph was giving him was starting to kick in fully. Loke had these strange urges all of a sudden. When some men came in to give him more raw meat (which unfortunately for him, was beginning to enjoy the taste of) the lion spirit snarled, baring his teeth which were sharper and fang-like. The men grew fearful, and in terror dropped the box filled with meat.

His faith began to dwindle as each agonizing day went by. Loke no longer felt normal, yet he wanted everything to go back to the way things used to be. The guild and its antics. The jobs and the chaos that soon followed afterward. His friends and his master. His master…Lucy…

She reminded him of someone. But at the same time Lucy was different. She was the first in a very long time to treat him as an equal. He hadn't had that sort of treatment since...since who again? Was even his memory leaving him as well? That was the last thing he wanted to happen.

As of the moment, Loke was lying on the floor, exhaustion plaguing his system. His jacket and shirt unbuttoned, the fur on his chest visible. He was sweating, and didn't feel like moving. The sound of a door opening was heard. His ears twitched towards the sound, and he knew what it was.

Loke didn't feel like moving. There was no point in it. The lion spirit knew it was Joseph with another dosage. He could never escape the scientist, so there wasn't any point trying to get up.

"Good morning Leo," the scientist's voice echoed through the cell. The lion spirit didn't move.

"Don't worry, today's not another dosage of that magnificent serum." His ears perked up at this, and Loke lifted his head. There wasn't going to be a dosage today? Then why was he here then?

"No...dosage?" Loke whispered. He was very exhausted, and just wanted to sleep. Joseph shook his head.

"Oh no, but instead you get to experience something even better," the man grinned. The lion spirit didn't like the sound of it.

"Better…?" he whispered.

"Oh yes," Joseph said. "I get to learn more about you today." He pulled out a syringe, a smirk forming across his face.

"For now, you're just going to take a nice long nap. And while you are doing that, well…" he trailed off.

"Let's just say that I'm going to operate on you…"

Immediately, Loke sprang to his feet...paws? The lion spirit shot up quickly, ready to defend himself. Yet his eyes were filled with fear. He was going to get surgery done on him?! For what?! Why?! His ears were pinned back, teeth bared, claws unsheathed.

"My, that certainly got a reaction out of you," Joseph said.

"You...are not...operating on me!" he snarled. To this, the scientist only had a smile on his face.

"You do not have much of a choice Leo," he answered. "Lady Karen wishes to know more about you, and what ties you to Lucy. And she will get her answers!"

The lion spirit froze when he heard his master's name. What tied him to Lucy? What did he mean by that? Yet when this second of astonishment occurred, Joseph attacked. Thankfully Loke came to his senses, and thus moved swiftly as he could, even though there were chains on his wrists and ankles.

Loke managed to grab Joseph's wrists, stopping the scientist from injecting him. His eyes were wild with anger, hair untamed. Even through the glasses he wore, the hatred radiated from those eyes. Joseph seemed to be surprised.

"It appears that the serum is working wonders on your body," the scientist exclaimed aloud, impressed. "You've finally managed to catch me, like a lion catching its prey. Oh, but isn't that what you are? A fierce and dangerous lion ready to tear me apart, or any human for that matter?" The cynical look in Joseph's eyes grew as he taunted the spirit.

"Don't compare me to that!" Loke bared his fangs, pupils becoming slits. His tail swished back and forth violently.

"My name is Loke! Leader of the Zodiac spirits! I am not a monster! Nor will I ever be!"

The rage in his system flowed like a raging river. Never in his existence had he ever been so full of anger and hatred towards anyone, except for one time. All the lion spirit wanted to do was leave and go back to the life he once had. In truth, he was scared, afraid, terrified. Loke didn't want to be here.

Despite holding Joseph down, he felt a slight prick on his arm. His eyes moved to the source, and for a split second Loke saw the needle before his strength went slack.

'_How...did he reach me…?' _the lion spirit thought. Loke's eyes felt heavy, and began to sway.

'_No! I've got to...I've got to…' _

Yet he could not resist the pull of the sedative. He fell to the ground, chains clanking loudly. His eyes closing fast, the world falling into darkness around him. The last thing he saw was Joseph staring at him, a smirk on his face.

'_I have to...get up...can't let him...oper..at..e…' _

Consciousness faded from him. Joseph was pleased at this. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a set of keys. The scientist unlocked the locks that were around Loke's wrists and ankles. A few other men dressed in surgical outfits came in with a stretcher and an IV with a special liquid to keep the lion spirit unconscious.

"Get him to the operating room," Joseph commanded. "And make sure that the IV is secure. Even though for now he's sedated, the serum has made him more powerful than before. There's no telling when he will wake up."

They nodded, and thus got to work. One of them picked up the lion spirit, who surprisingly had gotten thinner because of the lack of food besides the raw meat he was given. Loke was placed in the stretcher gently, the IV then inserted into his right arm.

The spirit moaned quietly, feeling the needle pierce his skin. But once the liquid inside the bag flowed into him, he was pulled deeper into unconsciousness.

"Alright, now get moving!" the head scientist yelled.

With that, the stretcher that held the poor lion spirit was rolled away into the operating room. Joseph opened up his phone, calling a certain someone of the most recent details.

"I've secured him for now, Lady Karen," he began. He walked out of the dark, cold cell and in the direction of where the stretcher went.

"Leo put up a fight this time, yet he was still no match for me. The surgery will begin soon. Give me about two to three hours and I shall give you my answers."

"Good, then I will leave you to it," was all she said, and he hung up.

Joseph walked through the halls, until he came upon a room that was painted a light grey color. The operating room. Some of his men were already there, hooking up various machines to the spirit. The head scientist grabbed some surgical gloves and put them on.

"We have to get this done as quickly as possible," Joseph stated. "I wish to know the reason why the serum isn't progressing as it should. Lady Karen needs this to be done as quickly as possible. Our time window is approximately one month until she plans to get rid of Leo once and for all."

"In order to do such a thing, our job is to find out why this case is not continuing as it should. And this requires a feat in which has never been done before; performing surgery on a Celestial Spirit, a type of being known to be immortal."

"Such an act is most likely forbidden in regards to Celestial Law, and thus, if this is ever found out by the Celestial Spirit King, all of us will most definitely die. If not, then we'll suffer the harshest consequences the universe and all the stars have to offer to us. This is something that no normal human would ever want to do."

"However, this is a rare and invaluable opportunity. To pass something up like this would be a grave mistake. It is a chance for us to learn what a Celestial Spirit truly holds within them. All the secrets of immortality are right in front of us! I do not wish to let this chance slip from me!"

"Yet, if there are those who wish to opt out of this, remember...This is not just for the sake of science. We are doing this for Lady Karen. To leave now would mean going against her. Do you understand?"

No one responded to him. They just stood still and silent. Not one of them intended on leaving anyway. The head scientist smirked, then turned his attention to the unconscious spirit on the medical table. His eyes were full of curiosity, yet they bore a cynical nature as well.

"Gentlemen, let us cut open this lion."

* * *

Loke was surrounded in darkness. He couldn't tell where he was. But the pain made it impossible to move, or even lift himself off of the ground.

'_Where...am I?' _He thought to himself.

Loke felt warm for some reason despite it being dark. The lion spirit could not contain his questions, as the place he was in was vastly unfamiliar. He panted, attempting to keep his mind off of the pain.

'_Why…? Why is there so much of it?' _

At times, he began to feel foreign sensations penetrate his body. Near his stomach area and his chest. Loke just wanted it to stop. Yet nothing could be done about it since he couldn't move. What was happening to begin with?

He opened his eyes, only to still see darkness in front of him. The lion spirit raised his hand up and examined it. It looked somewhat normal. After this, he put his hand down. Loke turned his head to the side, grimacing in pain. He wanted it to end so badly.

'_Make it stop…' _

"You'll get through this my friend..." a young, male voice echoed.

The lion spirit's eyes widened. He knew that voice. It wasn't anyone from the guild. But it was someone who he knew very well. The area around him lightened a little, becoming a soft grey instead of pitch black. While Loke couldn't stand up, or couldn't do anything else for that matter, he decided to answer the voice.

"Who...are you…?" he asked. Loke knew this voice. He really did. But… "Can't...remember…"

With all the pain and torture he'd experience, his mind slipped away at some points. He knew he should know this voice somehow. It wasn't from Fairy Tail, that was one thing Loke was sure of. Yet…

Suddenly the lion spirit felt something, or rather someone, feeling his chest, right where the golden fur was. This eventually turned into scratching. Whoever was doing it wasn't visible however. Loke groaned, taking in the pleasure from it. Then to his horror, a low vibrating came from his throat. A purr. He froze, and the entity that was scratching him also stopped as well.

"It seems that you've changed a lot, huh?" the voice said. Loke let his head fall back, his eyes closing.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised you don't remember me. It's been a long time since we've seen each other, hasn't it?" Loke didn't answer him. He just listened. While he could hear someone, the lion spirit couldn't see who he was.

Another sensation was felt between the cat ears on his head. He didn't resist it, feeling the touch of a hand on his head. He leaned into it, another purr resonating from his throat. This time however, Loke let it continue, not even trying to stop it from happening. His tail swished from side to side as well.

"It's already started…" the mysterious voice whispered. "You're losing yourself…" The voice sounded sad.

Loke perked up at this, and his purring stopped. Looking around, there was still no one there. What did the voice mean?

"Losing...myself…?" the spirit asked.

"Hai," the voice said. Loke felt his head being scratched again, and a purr came from his throat. "Your pain is only going to increase from here. As we speak, there are humans currently performing surgery on you. That is why you are feeling the pain throughout parts of your body."

At this, Loke stood up quickly, trying to ignore the pain shooting up his body. But he couldn't handle it, and thus doubled over in pain.

"You shouldn't be standing up!" the voice frantically spoke.

The lion spirit felt himself being pushed down, yet he couldn't resist it as his strength wasn't enough. He was placed into a sitting position.

"Why are you…" Loke began, but then was cut off abruptly.

"Please, listen to me," the voice stated. The spirit's eyes widened. "Loke, my friend, you must hear what I have to say. The life that you once knew will cease to exist if you don't listen now."

"Many horrible and terrible events will happen in the future if you lose yourself. There will come a time where they will try to break you. You must not break. If you do, the Celestial Spirit World will turn to turmoil."

"I know your hope has dwindled, but Lucy is looking for you," he finished. Loke almost sat up.

"Lucy…?" The lion spirit asked. "How...do you know Lucy?"

The voice wanted to tell him everything. But his time was becoming very limited. He knew he would have to leave soon.

"That is not important," the voice added. "What you must remember is that Lucy knows that you're missing. They're looking for you. That is what you can hold onto. At least until you make it out of here. Believe me…" The voice began to fade slightly.

"I must go for now. My time is very limited. Actually, I really shouldn't be here to begin with…" But Loke didn't want him to go.

"Wait…" His strength was becoming weak, and he fell back to whatever the ground was below him. The lion spirit's eyes felt heavy.

"How do you...know me?" was Loke's last question.

He felt drowsy, and wanted to sleep away the pain that was occurring around him. To his surprise, the voice responded in a more happier tone.

"We're friends! I was the one who gave you the name Loke!"

In that instant, some sort of shock ran through his brain like a thunderbolt. But the exhaustion and pain overtook him, dragging him into the darker depths of unconsciousness. Darkness clouded his mind, and the voice was gone.

* * *

"Joseph sir!" a voice echoed through his mind. "Joseph sir! Leo is waking up sooner than expected!"

"Restrain him immediately!" another voice said. It was one that Loke knew all too well. Joseph. If he said to restrain him, then that meant…

Without another thought, the lion spirit sprang up blindly, having absolutely no idea what was going on. His brain eventually registered the events around him. For some reason he was in a stretcher with his clothes on, his chest area bandaged up. Loke's right arm was also bandaged as well. Not only that, but there were a few men dressed in white coats with masks on, one of them he recognized as Joseph. But the most important thing he noticed was that the gold chains weren't on him.

He didn't give himself a second to breathe. Loke sprang off of the stretcher and ran as fast as he could.

"Stop him!" he heard the head scientist yell.

But the lion spirit would not stop for anything. This would probably be his only chance at freedom. So Loke sprinted down the long hallway desperate to get away.

A surge of hope flowed through his body, as the possibility of getting out of this place increased tenfold. Loke could return to the Celestial Spirit World and, hopefully, get rid of these unwanted additions that were given to him via serum. How he wished to see his fellow spirits, and not to mention Zodiacs and the Spirit King himself.

Even more so, the lion spirit wished to see the guild. To visit all of his friends. Most importantly, to see his master and the love of his life which he would protect with his life. Loke wanted her. He needed her. Someone to give him comfort from all the tortures of this prison. Lucy would be the one to do it.

An alarm then rang throughout the entire area, almost like there was a storm coming.

"Attention all personnel," an unknown person through a loudspeaker spoke. "Our main inhabitant, Leo the Lion, has escaped from his restraints and is now somewhere in this building. Be on alert. His magic is no longer contained, and he is considered a danger. Capturing him is of the utmost importance. Because if he escapes, all of our efforts for Lady Karen will be in vain."

Nevertheless, Loke continued to run, ignoring the constant blaring of the alarm. His eyes went back and forth between the walls, searching for any signs that would lead him out of there. It was then that he noticed a sign for an emergency exit, so the spirit took a right and headed down another hallway.

"There he is!" a voice shouted behind him. His breath hitched, and Loke continued to run faster.

'_Please,' _he pleaded. '_Just let me leave here! I want to go back to Lucy!' _

The spirit passed another door, then another, and another. His heart raced faster. The pain in his chest throbbed. His arm stung. He himself feeling slightly woozy.

Finally, he went down another hallway and found a door at the end of it. "EXIT" it said.

'_Yes!' _Loke thought in triumph.

His legs moved faster, and the lion spirit reached the door. Frantically, he used as much strength as he could to open it. The door clicked, and once it moved, Loke sprinted out.

The sunlight of midday hit his body. It was noticeably warmer outside now than it was two months ago, when Loke believed he was first captured. But the lion spirit shielded his eyes from the light, since his eyes were used to the amount of light that was left in that cold, dark cell. Once his eyes adjusted, Loke removed his right arm from his head.

It was like he had stepped into a whole new dimension. All the colors of the outside world popped out at him, unlike the gray and black dinginess of his cell. Hundreds of different smells invaded his senses, and Loke realized that his sense of smell was never this acute. They felt a little bit overwhelming, causing him to get a slight headache. Yet it eventually went away, and he became used to these bright surroundings.

Loke looked around, now taking in the sight of the environment. It appeared that it was some sort of forest, with towering pine trees and green grass. The wind blew softly through his hair, and the new fur on his body felt the sensation as well. Then he realized that he could see the changes that happened to him over the past two months.

'_Wow…' _the lion spirit thought.

In truth, he hadn't really got to see his full appearance since it was dark in where he was held. Now, Loke could see the differences. He wrapped his hand around his arm, which seemed to be bulkier and have more muscle. His feet, or rather his back paws, felt the grass and dirt beneath him. There were so many new sensations that the lion spirit was experiencing that it overwhelmed him.

This feeling...Loke wanted to run out into the forest and not care about anything. He wanted more of these sensations that were so foreign to him before the lion spirit was taken prisoner. Loke wanted it. _Needed _it. The spirit felt this need for...for what? What was the word for it?

'_Freedom…?' _

Yes, that was the word for it. Freedom. It was something Loke never had in his life, ever. Spirits were always tied to a master, and even if they weren't, it wasn't like they could live on Earthland. So the only thing to really do was to stay in the Celestial Spirit World. But, he had a necklace that made him not lose his energy while he was here, so did that mean…

'_I...I could be free?' _Loke thought. He never thought he could have it. '_No more masters? No more pain? No more…' _

His thoughts went into a state of turmoil. Yet a smile of joy appeared on his face. The lion spirit could do whatever he wanted without a care! Oh he couldn't wait to tell…

'_What am I doing?' _he asked himself. '_Lucy is my master. I would never run away from her. Why was I thinking about doing that? I would never…' _

Yet he knew he thought of it. Loke felt ashamed of himself. He promised he wouldn't leave her side. And here the lion spirit was, wanting freedom from masters in general. The thought of freedom made him feel giddy and happy inside. But he had to remember who he was. A celestial spirit. Someone who serves their master. No matter who it was.

Then, pain began to course along his back, the sound of a whip being struck. Loke fell to the ground, grasping his shoulder in agony. He gritted his teeth, a low growl emanating from his throat. Unfortunately the lion spirit had an idea who did this, but he was too afraid to turn around to confirm his answer. Yet the sound of a whip being tapped against something told him everything.

"You thought you could get away from me that easily didn't you?" Karen's voice echoed behind him. A swift kick sent the lion spirit off of his hands and knees and onto his stomach. He winced.

"I thought you knew already Leo," she continued. "You can't escape from me. And besides, even if you did there is absolutely nowhere for you to go. This area here is outside of Fiore, far away from Ishgar itself even. Lucy isn't around to steal you away from me!"

Loke coughed, pain increasing. The recent surgery hadn't helped him at all, and he was still mostly recovering from the sedatives that were meant to keep him under. Yet he got up slowly, wincing a couple of times from the shocks that ran through his system. The lion spirit had to face her, no matter how tired he was. Loke wouldn't be able to get away unless she wasn't there.

Hazel eyes glared at brown, showing the inner fury and hatred hidden within. He unintentionally unsheathed his newly formed claws, ready to attack. Tail swishing violently back and forth. Hair becoming wild and untamed. Fangs flashing. Eyes becoming slits.

He attacked.

The lion spirit readied a Regulus Impact, prepared to hit the woman in front of him. He didn't even care if she was a Celestial Spirit Mage. He didn't care if she was his former master. Nor did the lion spirit even care about the consequences that could befall him when he returned to the Spirit World.

Unbeknownst to him, his magic was out of control, wild even. This Regulus Impact looked much, much different. It was almost as if it was darker than usual. Nevertheless, the lion spirit charged forth, ready to land a blow.

But Loke couldn't even strike her, or even close to her, as Karen's whip slashed him across his right side. He fell to the ground, consciousness beginning to fade again. He looked up at Karen, who could see the pain in his eyes clearly. She smirked at this, knowing that she had some control over him now.

"If you try to escape again Leo, then perhaps I should do what I did to you to one of your friends," Karen threatened.

"You...you wouldn't!" Loke growled.

"Then don't even think about leaving ever again!" she told him. "If not, then you can say goodbye to one of your companions from that guild that you oh so love."

"No…" the lion spirit hissed.

He gripped the grass harder than he did before, trying to push himself up. Yet the lion spirit just ended up falling back onto the ground. He breathed heavily, suddenly feeling warmer than before. Loke wanted to sleep. He wanted to lie down on the grass and curl up, letting the sun rays warm him. Never did the lion spirit want to think about going back to that cold dark cell.

Unfortunately he would get his wish partially, and Loke began to slip into unconsciousness once more. He didn't force himself to stay awake. The lion spirit let himself slip into the darkness, and the comfort it held.

Karen stood over him, a smirk on her face. It was then that she heard the sound of footsteps coming from behind her. Joseph and a few other scientists were coming towards her, and at a fast rate.

"Lady Karen!" the young, blond haired man spoke. "Are you alright?!"

"I'm fine Joseph," she answered with no emotion whatsoever.

The head scientist looked down and saw an unconscious lion spirit. He gestured to the men behind him to pick him up. They did so, and gently picked Loke up.

"Take him back to his cell," he ordered. "Make sure his bandages are wrapped as well. And don't forget to put his chains back on too! Unless you want a raging feline escaping the premises again."

They nodded, and took the lion spirit back to his cell. Joseph let out a sigh, relaxing slightly, knowing that their highly valuable specimen hadn't escaped. He turned back to Karen.

"I must apologize, Lady Karen," he began, bowing. "We did not anticipate Leo to awaken from the surgery that quickly. And he managed to elude us for quite some time. I must ask for your forgiveness."

The two walked back into the building, shutting the door behind them. But to the scientist's surprise, Karen took it in a completely different way than he expected.

"I was planning on meeting with him in a few days anyway," she explained. "Plus, it crushed a little bit of the hope he had of escaping me. I got to see his pain. His fear. That is what I've been wanting to see for a while now."

She stopped walking for a moment. "How is Project Arcane?"

"Very well," he answered. "They should be ready within a week."

"And the surgery?"

"We found a few interesting things, Lady Karen," Joseph began. "The most important being why he hasn't progressed further with the serum and as to why he seems noticeably weaker than usual."

"When the surgery was performed, we discovered a special type of organ that only forms when a spirit is contracted to a master. It is also partially there when a spirit isn't contracted, making it so that it can form whenever a contract is made. In other words, it is like an organ made of magic."

"It specifically looks like a lock and chains. Hence why I named it, 'the Lock.' It specifically wraps around a celestial spirit's heart, making it so that whenever the spirit forms a contract with a mage, it binds the spirit with their owner. This in turn can sometimes lead the spirit to feel their master's emotions, whenever their life is in danger, and of course, their master's death. The Lock opens if that happens."

"This also ties the spirit to summoning. They'll feel a pang in their heart, which is actually the chain tightening around it, as the mage is asking them to come to their side. In order to stop this pang, the spirit goes through their gate to meet their master, thus stopping the chain from tightening further."

"What does it have to do with Leo?" Karen asked.

"He has two."

"I'm not exactly following what you are telling me Joseph," she stated.

"Allow me," he began. "When Leo was operated on, there were two Locks around his heart. The first one being a golden color, and the second being a blue color. If a spirit has a contract with a Celestial Spirit mage then the golden colored Lock will appear, which is what we theorized. However, the blue Lock on top of the golden one confused us. Why was it there? How did Leo get it in the first place?"

They continued to walk. "It was then that I realized that it had something to do with what you told me a while back. You said that you never broke your contract with him?"

"No," Karen stated. "And I never did despite the times he tried to get me to give it up."

"Then you confirmed my theory then," Joseph answered.

"Your theory?"

"Yes. If what you say is true, then that means Leo's contract with you is still intact, despite not using Celestial Magic for almost ten years. Your contract represents the golden Lock. And the blue Lock…"

"Is Lucy Heartifilia's contract," Karen finished.

"Indeed. Which means that this is possibly the first time that a spirit ever had two contracts and two masters. While this may seem like a good thing, in actuality it diverts his magic between both you and Lucy Heartifilia."

"What this means that if she were to summon Leo, the spirit would only be able to use about half the strength he can muster. The same if you were to summon him. However, if the two of you fought side by side, he would be able to use one hundred percent of his power."

"The Lock not only answered that question, but it answered another one as well. In regards to the lion serum, because there are two Locks, they block some of the arteries that allow magic to flow into his heart. Now of course this would be fatal to any human, but because he is a spirit, Leo is able to survive this effect. However, the serum cannot progress because of this."

"In both of our best interests, we should try to remove these Locks. And there are two ways to do so. One is to have Leo's key in your possession. Hence why a Celestial Spirit mage needs a key to begin with. It is not to open their gate but rather to hold the key to their heart in a sense. In this way, we operate on him again, put the key into the Locks which will deactivate them, and then surgically remove the Locks."

There was silence for a moment, and Karen gestured for him to continue.

"Of course, we don't have Leo's key," he mentioned. "And it would be impossible to even get close to obtaining it, as Lucy Heartifilia is very close with her spirits and so forth. Grabbing a key from her would be next to impossible."

"Our second option would be much easier to do, however I am not sure how you would feel about it, so I am asking you."

"What does it involve?" Karen asked.

"You would have to give up your contract with Leo," Joseph stated.

She unfortunately didn't like the sound of that. Having to get rid of a little bit of her hold over Leo wasn't going to be the greatest thing in the world. It meant that he would have a little freedom. Yet she supposed it wouldn't hinder anything. Karen didn't have his key anymore, so she couldn't control him that much.

"By giving up your contract, Lady Karen," he started. "The golden Lock around his heart will disappear. When that happens, we of course will remove it via surgery. However, that would still leave the blue Lock, which symbolizes Lucy Heartifillia's contract with Leo."

"It is most definitely impossible to get those two to break it, after all that we have heard about the Celestial Spirit mage. She is very protective of her spirits, not wanting any of them to be treated as tools or to be thought of as non-living objects meant to be used. This is especially the case for Leo, as Lucy Heartifilia was often pictured with him in news articles."

"But from what you have said to me about Leo, there is a slight chance that we could get him to break his contract all on his own. If what you stated about him earlier is true, then it just might work. He did speak of how there are some things that only he could do that the others cannot, correct? Then if my theories are true, then Leo possesses the ability to break his contract with his master."

"Yet if that were the case, why was he trying to get you to release both his and Aries' contracts?" he finished.

Karen scoffed at this. "He always felt pity for that poor ram," she began. "Aries never had the spine to do anything. She was so timid, that I had to force her to actually do something. Then Leo wanted me to break off both of their contracts."

"It would have been pointless to break his own and leave her with me. I would still have her, and not him. Sure, this would've been one attempt to spite me, but if Leo did that, I would still have Aries."

Both were silent for a moment. They continued their walk down the hallway, until they reached the main control room for the facility. Karen began to think. How could she get Leo to break his own contract with that Lucy Heartifilia?

Suddenly, an idea came into her head. "Joseph," she said. "I want you to make something for me."

The young scientist bowed to her. "What is it that you desire from me?"

"I want you to make...a golden key."

* * *

**Author's Note**

**And that's the end of Chapter 6! Yee! **

**I liked going to depth with how summoning and contracts between Celestial Spirits and their masters. While Fairy Tail only shows it as, key and gate and spirit will serve you, it felt like there had to be so much more to it than that. After all, how else would spirits feel whether or not their master were in danger? And so, the organ known as "the Lock" was created. How this was created will be explained later in this story.**

**Oooo what is this Project Arcane? Okay you'll find out more about it next chapter. It's a little theory that I came up with. And the strange voice that spoke with Loke? You'll find out about him later. **

**Anyways, that's all I'm going to say. Tell me what you guys think! I love reviews! They keep me going and let me know you guys enjoy this story!**

**Until next time, See Ya Universe!**

**Palkia**


	8. Claws of Awakened

**Author's Note**

**Hello Universe! Palkia's back with Chapter 7! Yee!**

**Thank you to all of those who favorited and followed this story! It means a lot! Let's get into it!**

**I do not own Fairy Tail. **

**Chapter 7**

**Claws of Awakening**

The first thing it did when it gained consciousness was open its eyes.

So many foreign sensations were felt by it that its mind was taking a while to process anything. There was so much of...everything, yet so much of nothing at the same time. The last thing it remembered was black. As far as it could see there was black. Now there was this…? It couldn't come up with a word to describe what was in front of it.

'_Green?' _it registered.

There was all this _green _around it for some reason. Why this was the case was unknown to it. This green felt weird, like it wasn't natural. Black felt natural, yet this did not.

It felt a great pain in its chest. And it didn't know why. It hunched over in agony, until it released something. These weird, white, circular objects flowed out of it ('_Mouth?'_) for some reason, and it took in the green. And this somehow satisfied the pain.

'_Air,' _it realised.

It needed air, but now it didn't? This green…('_Substance?'_) satisfied the ('_Pain?'_) It released some of the green substance and took in more. It felt better, as there was no more of this pain. In and out. In and out with the green substance. It was like breathing.

Now that it was no longer in pain, it looked around. Yet it could not move. But it wanted to move. Its ('_Head?'_) turned down, and it saw itself. Was this its body? Whatever this was, it was dark colored ('_Skin?'_) with some off color fiery markings ('_red?'_) along the sides of it. They ran along its body ('_Arms? Legs?'_) yet they did not feel right.

It then decided to look ahead, and it saw itself.

It was a dark skinned thing ('_Human?'_) with red/maroon markings that looked wild and firey that danced along its skin. On top of its head was this short, soft, fluffy thing ('_Hair?'_) that was also a dark red/maroon color. Its eye color was also red. Dark red markings were also on its face. Looking itself over, it realized something.

'_Who am I?' _

It did not know who it was. Why was it here? Where did it come from? It did not remember anything. So why was it surrounded by this green substance?

The human being wanted to be free of its imprisonment. Free to go out and see what was beyond this green substance. Yet it felt like something was holding it back. It turned around, and saw these weird things ('_Tubes?'_) sticking out of its backside. The being used its ('_Hands?'_) to try and pull them out. Yet for some reason, it didn't have the strength to take them out.

It looked ahead, but then it hit its head against something. There was this invisible barrier that was keeping it from going further. And it seemed that this barrier held back the green substance as well. This barrier was all around it too.

Yet this barrier appeared to be transparent. It looked through the barrier, and saw the world outside. It was...so strange, so complex. Metallic walls and strange computer-like devices. Bright flashing lights, and words. Everything was so hard to take in.

There was that feeling of strangeness that plagued the human's very being. It wanted out. But it could not get out. So what else was there to do then? Stay in this green substance barrier for whoever knows how long? There wasn't anything it could do. The human just felt so...so…

'_Alone?'_

Was that the word for it? Did it really feel this alone? There was no one else around. Was there anyone else like it? Was it really the one one?

To its surprise, a metal door opened in its field of vision. And in came two other humans just like it. One was slimmer, wearing a red fur coat, black pants, and had long green hair. The other was broader, wearing a white coat, black pants, and had short, straight blonde hair. There were humans just like it was.

"Project Arcane is running along smoothly, Lady Karen," the human in the white coat said.

Project? Arcane? What did all these strange things mean? And what did that human do? These weird sounds it made. Was that...talking? Could it talk as well?

"How much longer until they're ready, Joseph?" the other one, Karen, asked.

Apparently the one in the white coat was called Joseph, and the other one was called Karen. That led to a realization. Did it have something like this? What was that called?

'_Do I...have a name?' _

"For now," Joseph gestured to something further to the left of the human being. "They're just asleep. The test subjects can be awakened at any time when you request it."

Subjects? Were there others like it? The human turned to its left, and its eyes widened. There were indeed others, in green substances, right next to it. Yet they didn't look the same as it did. Different colors of hair and markings. But they all looked similar.

"In a few days," Karen began. "I want you to awaken them. I'm going to pay a little visit to Leo, and by the end of it, he should cooperate with us. We'll use him as a test for these clones. And if everything has gone the way it should, then they'll be a success. And Leo will be closer to breaking."

'_Leo...who is Leo?'_

It was a name that sounded familiar, yet it didn't sound familiar at all. It closed its eyes for a moment, and...something came to it.

"_I am *********, slayer of *******. And I come to this place to wipe your ugly kind off the face of the planet, once and for all."_

Those words...they shocked the human in the green substance. It opened its eyes, and this caught the attention of Karen on the outside. She glanced over at it.

"How come that one is awake?" she questioned.

Joseph looked over at where Karen was gesturing to, and shock plagued his face. "How is that possible? I have used some of the strongest sedatives to keep him asleep. And he's fought against them! This wasn't supposed to happen!"

The man rushed over to something and began to push these weird buttons. "I must put him back to sleep immediately! Otherwise, he may not follow the instructions I-"

"No," Karen said.

"What?" Joseph asked.

"Don't put him under yet. I am sure that he wants to know more about himself, doesn't he?"

He. So it was a he then. Male. Yes, he wanted to know answers about who and where he was at the moment. So the human in the tank nodded his head, showing that he wanted knowledge of who he was. Karen smirked at this, and walked over to his containment area.

"You are a clone," Karen began. "A copy of the most powerful being in this world. You as well as your brothers in the other tanks were all created for one thing; Destruction. And, to obey me of course."

So he was a clone? Just a copy? There had to be so much more to him than that, right? He wasn't just some mere duplicate. There had to be so much more than what she was telling him. And this word...destruction. It sounded familiar, and he didn't like the sound of it.

"Lady Karen," Joseph began. "I believe that it is in both of our best interests that he is put back to sleep for now. I still need to give him the instructions."

She turned to look at him. "Fine, then put him to sleep."

The scientist went over to a control panel and pushed a light blue color button. Soon, the same color liquid flowed through the tubes that connected to the back of his body. At first, it felt chilling, and he began to feel tired. His eyes were closing, the world becoming dark. However, he heard one last thing before losing consciousness.

"Welcome into the world, Acnologia Zero."

Acnologia Zero. So that was his name…

* * *

After a few days, Karen decided that it was time to test out Project Arcane. And if everything else went accordingly, these clones should be able to carry out much destruction. She had to test them so that they would follow every command given to them. And what better way to do it than to let them loose on a captive Celestial Spirit?

Loke's scars from surgery had completely healed by this point, not even showing any sign that the surgery ever occurred in the first place. Of course, he knew that it happened, otherwise the painful memory of Joseph telling him that he was going to be operated wouldn't haunt his dreams.

He could only imagine the kind of disgrace that would await in the Spirit World for him. Loke's fellow spirits looking down upon him for letting such a thing occur. The Spirit King dismissing him from the Zodiac position. Lucy...giving him up.

"Tch!" a fake Aquarius had said in his dream. "How could you let some humans do that to you? I would've swept them away by now."

The hallucinations only became worse after that. Sometimes, Aries would come into Loke's cell, asking him why he was here, only to apologize afterwards and disappear. Other times, he would just be having a normal conversation with a fake Lucy, and it was beginning to get harder and harder to distinguish what reality was.

"Lucy?" he called out, now seeing the apparition of his princess in front of him.

"Loke!" she exclaimed. "Oh my god! Are you alright?!"

Lucy ran over to the lion spirit, who was currently lying on the floor. He was tired after the whole surgery, since he had been drugged earlier. Somehow, Loke was able to feel her hands slide across his body, wincing when she ran over a bruised area.

"You found me…" the lion spirit whispered. "I was...beginning to think...that you wouldn't find me…"

"You know I wouldn't stop looking for you right?" she told him. "All of us were worried for you, idiot! When you didn't come back through your gate…"

She choked up at the last part, and it was clear to Loke that she was concerned for him. He looked up at Lucy, a few tears in her eyes. So the lion spirit used whatever strength that was left to get up.

"Can we go home now, princess?" he asked, hopeful.

Lucy smiled at him, and nodded. Together, the two began to walk towards the exit to the cell. Loke felt happy, almost joyful even. He was finally getting out of this dark and horrible area. Not to mention that Karen would no longer be an issue in his life. And that was something he never wanted to deal with again.

However, his slight sliver of hope was shattered when Loke heard the sounds of chains clatter on the floor. Looking down, he saw the familiar golden chains that restricted his magic use and bound him to his cell. And it was then that the lion spirit noticed that the Lucy he saw earlier was nothing more than an illusion. A realization that somewhat broke his heart.

Not much had occurred in the past week or so. Joseph had come by yesterday, or what Loke believed was yesterday, to give him the dosage again. Yet this time, nothing seemed to happen to him this time. There was no pain, no agony. And, best of all, no changes to his body seemed to occur either, which surprised Loke.

Joseph however, didn't seem to be in any sort of shock at this. The scientist only seemed to stroke his chin, as if he was confirming the existence of some withheld information. Nevertheless, he had smirked at the lion spirit, and proceeded to leave. Talk about strange.

Still, Loke supposed it could be worse. He could be writhing in pain on the ground than laying on it calming. The questions in his mind remained however, and the silence of his cell let him think about them too.

Over the past few weeks, well months actually since the lion spirit had been held here for what he believed to be at least two and a half months by this point, there was always something to keep him in a state of agony. Minus the first week of course. For the weekly dosages not being able to do anything to him was...concerning to say the least.

Not that Loke didn't mind. He'd take any day to not be in pain. After all, he couldn't go back to the Celestial Spirit World and heal instantly, so it took awhile for pain to go away. The lion spirit felt almost as if this was worse than his three year long death sentence. The pain that came then gained momentum over time, and he had gotten used to ignoring it. Here, it was constant, with his magic restrained and unable to heal his wounds.

'_I wonder,' _Loke thought, staring at the stone wall. '_If I were to remove these chains and my magic was allowed to flow freely, could I heal in this world at the same rate in the Spirit World?'_

It was certainly an interesting question. His first thoughts about it occurred after the lion spirit had woken up from his failed escape in his cell. Once again, the golden chains were attached to his wrists and ankles. Yet as he unwrapped his bandaged chest, Loke was met with shock.

There were no scars. No signs of the surgery ever happening.

Something must have caused it, and the lion spirit had a feeling it had to do with the necklace around his neck. The pendant gave most of his theory away. Who better to recognize the symbol of the lion than himself? Still, it kept Loke in this world after all. It didn't feel like he was breathing in stale air all the time either, or felt like he was losing his life force.

How a magical item like this could exist is unprecedented. For centuries, many have tried and failed to come up with a way for spirits to be able to stay in this world for longer amounts of time. Having an immortal being's only weakness removed would be devastating in a fight.

Loke could only imagine the possibilities of it. He could protect Lucy without having to worry about anything. He could stay longer in Earthland without his magic running out. He could…

Stay with Lucy.

The lion spirit wouldn't have to go back to the Spirit World on occasion. He could stay with her as long as he liked. Well, unless she forcefully told him to leave of course. The possibilities of what he could do because there was no longer a time limit on his soul in this world were endless. It lifted his spirits.

But then again, Loke would be the only one with a necklace like this, wouldn't he? What would happen if the Spirit King discovered it? Would he destroy it? Would the item be deemed unfair? If the other spirits can't have something like this…

'_No,' _Loke thought immediately. '_He isn't like that at all. The Spirit King would never do such a thing.' _

Yet the possibility was still there. He knew that the Spirit King had his values and laws. If one spirit had something like this, then shouldn't the rest as well? Even so, the fact that Loke had this item could over complicate this entire situation. And he just hoped that things would go back to the way they were before this whole mess happened.

Loke heard the door open to his cell. Currently, the lion spirit was sitting on the ground, back against the wall. His tail swished in agitation. Joseph came in here yesterday. So why would anyone else come into his cell? No, unless…

"Well, hello Leo."

There was no doubt in his mind that it was Karen yet again. He lifted his head, and saw his former master standing before him. Loke gritted his teeth, revealing the fangs that had grown in over the time he was confined in this cell.

"What do you want with me?" he growled. "Just leave me alone."

"I actually have an interesting proposal for you," she began. "And I think you'll like it as well."

The lion spirit stood up slowly, aching from the pain in his system. "I told you, just leave me. I don't want anything that you have to offer."

"Really now? Even if it's giving up my contract with you?"

He froze at her words. His contract with her? That couldn't be right. He had a contract with Lucy, not with Karen. Unless, Loke somehow had two contracts. Yet that had to be impossible. A spirit couldn't have two contracts. There could only be one contract between a spirit and its master.

"My contract?" he asked. "I don't have a contract with you anymore. It broke after you were pronounced dead and I was forced to wander in this world for three years, remember?" Loke sneered at the last part.

"Besides, I have a contract with Lucy Heartifilia. Not with you. And there is no way that you'll get the both of us to break it! Because...ACK!"

She had pulled out her whip and struck him along his stomach area. Loke's legs locked, and he fell to the ground in agony. His breathing was ragged, struggling to sit up.

"You're still stubborn, aren't you?" Karen questioned. "According to Joseph, we learned a plethora of information about you."

This got a reaction out of Loke, who instinctively clenched his chest area. A shiver went up his spine, a bit of fear coursing through him. How much did they learn? Was there enough from the surgery to actually do something to him. He looked over at Karen, as he tried to suppress his horror behind his glasses. Yet she could see it slightly.

"First and foremost, you still have a contract with me, despite what you think," she began. "I did not die, nor did I ever give in to you for the breaking of both yours and Aries' contracts. Which hasn't been broken when you received your sentence either."

Loke stood there, shocked. He didn't want to believe the fact that he still had a contract with Karen. Did that mean she was still his master? If that were the case, then...A sudden realization came over him.

'_Oh god...I tried to kill her...I almost ended her life. I nearly broke the rule, I just…I…'_

"Interesting isn't it?" Karen spoke. He turned back to her. "And I'm not lying either. Why else would I lie about our contract? You felt a burning feeling a few hours before I sent out those men to capture you, yes? I tried to summon you without your key, as I still have a contract with you. Joseph asked me to do it as a test. Of course you wouldn't have been able to come, but you wouldn't be able to tell who it was summoning you or the fact that you were being summoned. You must've felt it. The feeling of being feverish, sick even. Spirits don't get sick. Even you should know that, Leo."

"Either way, it is still intact. Oh, I just realized. I'm still your master, and you tried to kill me. What would the King think of you after he pardoned your sentence, which was for indirectly killing me?"

"SHUT UP!" Loke roared, yet it was a roar out of fear. "Just go, and leave me be!"

Karen smirked at him, and continued. "You're not going to listen to what I have to say? I thought you were better than that Leo. After all, you listened to my pleas after you stayed here for a month. I'm sure you will want to listen to this."

"No," he replied instantly. "I won't do anything."

"Really? Not even wanting to negotiate with me on your contract?"

The lion spirit perked up at this. "Our contract?"

"I'm willing to give up my contract with you, of course," Karen answered simply.

He glared at her for a moment. What was she up to? Actually willing to give up her contract with him? If this was ten years ago, Loke would've jumped at the idea. Yet why here? Why now?

"This isn't like you, Karen," Loke began. "Why would you want to give up some of your control over me? Especially after all this time?"

"Why else wouldn't I be summoning you for the past ten years?" she questioned. "I don't use Celestial Spirit Magic anymore. Otherwise I would have been discovered a long time ago and punished for your banishment. Even with you here, I don't have a need for Celestial Magic. Not like I would need your magic in this situation anyway."

Still, her statement as to why wasn't all that convincing to Loke. Giving up a contract with a Celestial Spirit wasn't easy. There had to be more to this. But what?

"There's a catch, isn't there?" he asked.

Karen smirked. "Good, you're still sharp. When we break off our contract, you will be coming with me for a test. Let's just say that you'll be surprised when you see it."

Loke didn't like the sound of it. At all. On one hand, if their contract was broken, he would be partially free from her. However, he would have to participate in whatever test Karen had for him. On the other hand, would an opportunity like this ever come up again? While the lion spirit could probably break it on his own, would he want Karen to know that?

"And if I refuse?" Loke asked.

"Why? You would get half of your magic power back when our contract is severed. Apparently, your magic has been split between myself and that Lucy Heartifilia that you love."

'_My magic...was split in half?' _

And Loke nearly broke on the inside.

That was why he was weak. It was the reason why Natsu was able to push him out of the crowd so easily. Why he had been defeated so easily by enemies. It was because he had two masters, something that no spirit had.

All that self doubt he had obtained during the past two months. All the weakness he believed he had. The strange fever in the Celestial Spirit World. The sign of helplessness in front of the other zodiac spirits. All of that inner humiliation and hallucinations.

The biggest realization wasn't just from this, however. Ever since he became Lucy's spirit, Loke was weaker. Less in power than the other spirits, who were fueled by their master's magic and love. No, becoming her spirit didn't make him stronger, like all the times he said it did.

It only made him weaker.

He couldn't take it anymore. The constant reminder of weakness was always around him. Even from the point when he was kidnapped. Heck, Loke couldn't even defeat Natsu, a feat he could've done in the past. The dreams of helplessness overpowering him. Loke could feel his tail curl in slightly.

Yet he glared at Karen with a hatred that few have rarely seen. And when they did, they didn't live long. It was because of her that Lucy got hurt multiple times when he couldn't protect her. It was because of Karen that his magic was split in half and he felt humiliation and powerlessness. But most importantly, she was the sole reason for him being in this state.

"The contract goes out the window..._**now**__._"

Oh, Loke was furious. His tail swished back and forth violently. Claws forming on the ends of his fingertips. Fangs flashing. Eyes slitted and beast-like. And, a various amount of low vocalizations that could probably be described as him snarling erupted from his throat.

At this, Karen smirked at the lion spirit. She just knew how to tick him off. If it was one thing she knew, it was that he was very overprotective of his masters. And when the realization came to Loke that he was at half of what he could have, Karen could see him break down slightly inside. And that was what she wanted. Submission, even if it was there for a little bit.

"Ah, good," she began. "We are in agreement then. Then the contract between you and I shall be dissolved, correct?" The angry spirit nodded.

Karen held out her right hand, holding it up with her left. Then she closed her eyes and spoke these words.

"Close, Gate of the Lion. Destroy the bond between our souls as we depart. Close, so that the chain dissolves from within the lion's heart!"

And it was done.

The sound of a chain break was heard, and Loke swore that it felt as if something that was constricting his heart was partially gone now. He staggered a little, now feeling a strong flow of magic burst into his system, rejuvenating it and giving him some energy. He wouldn't deny that he felt great at that moment.

Once the initial magic flow was done, he stood up and brushed off the tattered clothes he was currently wearing. Adjusting his glasses, Loke took in a breath of air, which somehow tasted slightly better than before. Yes, he could feel it slightly; his body finally being able to take in the Ethernano of this world thanks to the necklace.

"Wow…" Loke whispered. "That felt so much-ACK!"

An instant later, the lion spirit was doubling over in pain on the ground. His hands felt as if they were on fire. He gritted his teeth, eyes full of pain. Loke tried desperately to ignore it, yet it was becoming too overwhelming.

'_What's...happening to me?!'_

Karen watched from afar, amazed at the sight before her eyes. Joseph's theory had been correct. Now that one of the Locks has been removed from the lion spirit's heart, the serum could flow much more freely. Of course, the other one would have to be removed as well in order for it to fully progress, but that would come later. Watching the exact events before her eyes, she had an idea.

Loke watched in horror as golden specks of fur began to grow on his hands. They became wider, his fingers becoming digit like and spreading apart. Black pads formed in the palms of his hands and on the tips of what used to be his fingers. The tiny claws now became larger and more defined.

**"GRRRRAH!"** the lion spirit roared in pain.

Finally, the pain in his hands stopped, but that still left him to be very exhausted. He fell to the ground, strength leaving him. Looking down at what was left of his hands, Loke could only show an expression of shock. Paws. There were no longer hands at the ends of his arms. They were now paws, just like his back ones.

The lion spirit closed his eyes for just a moment to catch a breather. Yet, this gave Karen enough time to attach a golden collar with a lead to his neck. Loke gasped, feeling the cool touch of metal, sending a shiver down his spine. His chest fur stood on end. He could hear the chains on his wrists and ankles being undone. He stood up immediately, only to see Karen holding the lead.

"This collar restricts your magic even more than those chains do," she explained. "So don't even think about attacking me. Now come with me."

Karen tugged at the lead, gesturing for him to follow. Unfortunately Loke couldn't resist it, as the lead was filled with a type of magic that somewhat forced the wearer of the collar into submission. He began to walk, back paws touching the ground. He could no longer wear shoes, as his paws couldn't fit into them. So Loke walked bare-pawed towards the door to his cell. But just before he could reach it, he was struck on his back, causing him to stumble. Karen had struck him with her signature whip.

"You're not walking there like that," the former Celestial Mage stated.

"What?" he asked, confused. Loke was met with the break of the whip to his left side. He winced in pain.

"You heard me, Leo," she sneered, but in a sarcastic tone.

Loke was whipped again, and nearly lost his balance. "I don't-ACK!"

The lashings came in faster, and he was forced to the ground. She eventually stopped. "Good, now walk, _lion_."

His eyes widened in realization. Loke immediately became angry, glaring at her. "_No. _I won't do that. You're not my master!"

In response, he was met with more lashings from her whip. Loke endured the pain, promising himself that he wouldn't give in. He refused to give in. The lion spirit would continue to resist.

'_I won't do as she says,' _he inwardly promised. '_I won't submit!'_

Yet his instincts began to kick in and were beginning to get the better of him. Loke's vocal cords betrayed him, as he let out a quiet whimper. The cat-like ears on his head drooping slightly. As the pain continued, the more and more he wanted it to stop.

'_No! I have to keep resisting her! I won't...let her do this to me! I…' _

"Aww, is the little kitten scared?" Karen taunted. "Perhaps he wants more of this!" She whipped him again.

This time, a very audible whimper escaped him, which surprised the lion spirit. He was starting to become frightened, which wasn't like Loke at all. His tail was low, almost between his legs even.

"Perhaps you would like it even more if I did it to one of your pathetic friends! Maybe even Aries! Just to spite you!"

He grew very fearful at that comment. Loke imagined his friends and his family being hurt by her. Worse, Lucy being tortured by Karen. He was afraid. The instinct of fear taking over him.

'_Have to...keep going...I just need to...no, I don't want more pain...please...don't whip me again!'_

Slowly, his body betrayed his earlier thoughts of resistance as he began to get up. Loke was now on both his front and back paws. Yet it looked a little awkward, as seeing any humanoid figure walk in that sort of way would be considered weird. But he was able to, his paw pads supporting him. Loke looked up and saw that the whipping had stopped, and Karen was smirking.

'_Why did I do it?' _he asked himself. '_I shouldn't be doing this!' _However, one look at the whip gave him other thoughts.

"Good, now you will follow me like that," she affirmed.

And so, the two walked out of the cell, with Karen holding his lead and Loke trailing miserably at her. His head was low, and so was his tail. They walked down a hallway, passing by a few men who appeared to be wearing lab coats. The men chuckled a little as Loke walked by on all fours.

'_I felt so scared of her for once. Why? I never was afraid of Karen. And yet, I just don't want her to hurt me, or my friends…'_

While Loke was thinking, he accidentally tripped over his own red tie, which despite his chest area being unbuttoned, he still wore it. The lion spirit landed on the ground with a thud. Off to his side, he could hear the same men desperately trying to contain their laughter.

He just felt so utterly humiliated.

Karen tugged at his lead. "Get up," she stated. "You don't want to be a bad kitten, do you?"

The lion spirit didn't want to listen to her. Yet, he found himself getting up and walking again, much to his own disapproval. Loke tried to keep his head low, so no one would see the humiliated expression he was currently showing. He didn't want this at all.

After turning the corner, they approached a door. Karen opened it, and led Loke into the room. He was surprised to see how large and open it was. The place almost looked as if it was a training and or battle area. And it was huge, almost like a stadium. But why would she need something like this?

"Lady Karen," he heard a voice saw off to the side.

Looking over to his right, he saw Joseph walking towards them. "Well, it certainly is a pleasure to see you once more, Leo. I see that you have new features, and that you're actually submitting to Lady Karen. I take it the contract severing went well?"

Loke snarled, and before anyone knew it, he pounced at the scientist, claws on his new front paws unsheathed. He had almost reached him, only for him to be yanked to the ground by his lead. Karen had done this.

"It was fine, wasn't it Leo?" she said, hinting for him to respond.

Said lion spirit got up, and decided that he had enough of walking at her heels. So Loke stood up on two legs this time, and absolutely refused in his mind to get on the ground. He bared his teeth at the two humans in front of him.

"We'll discuss this later," Joseph informed her. "For now, let us prepare for the test. Bring him over there and come to me afterward."

So Loke followed the former Celestial Mage to one side of the arena-like area. She released him from his collar, granting Loke a bit of freedom. Once he felt it off of his neck, he charged at her, only to be met with an invisible barrier. He ended up hissing in frustration.

"The barrier is secure, Lady Karen," Joseph called over from some sort of console off to the side.

She nodded, and stepped away from Loke, leaving the lion spirit inside the barrier. Karen stood next to the scientist, watching from afar. Loke punched it a few times, only for his efforts to end in failure.

'_Dang it, I can't break through!'_

"Give up trying to break it," Joseph told him. "This barrier is especially strong, and meant to keep the combatants inside them from getting out or causing any damage. Even you can't break out of it. Nor can the others that you will meet today."

'_Others?' _Loke thought.

"Today, Lady Karen and I have decided to perform an experiment, with you as the guinea pig, or rather the cat. We want to know how much these beings can handle your strength. And besides, I wanted to see how much the serum I invented has improved your abilities."

The lion spirit sneered, but Joseph continued. "Well now, since the contract between yourself and Lady Karen is now broken, let's test your limits, shall we?"

He didn't like the sound of it at all. Yes, Loke was immortal, and he could no longer die thanks to the necklace around his neck. However, that didn't mean he couldn't experience immense amounts of pain, as he had shown through the past two months. Still, what the two had in mind would remain a mystery to him, and he could only hope that it wasn't too terrible.

Suddenly, about five holes in the floor opened up, and there seemed to be multiple objects rising up from them. But when Loke got a closer look, he was indeed shocked. There were five of them, all staring menacingly towards the lion spirit, their expressions motionless and unreadable. Yet he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Humans, and they all looked exactly like Acnologia.

Well, to some degree anyway. The real Acnologia had long, dark blue hair, along with fierce, dark blue eyes, and dark blue markings as a result from gaining his dragon slayer abilities. Also he hardly wore any clothes besides pants and a brown, torn cape.

However, the humans who stood in front of him looked vastly different as to who he was thinking about. They all had short hair, which reminded him of Natsu's hair style, and wore white shirts and navy blue pants. The most noticeable thing is that while these five humans had the darker skin tone, their hair, eyes, and markings were all different colors. Not only that, but they all looked younger too.

The one the farthest to the right had light blue hair, light blue eyes, and light blue markings. Next to him was the same exact person, only he had yellow hair, yellow eyes, and yellow markings. The middle one had green hair, green eyes, and green markings. The fourth one had purple hair, purple eyes, and purple markings. Finally, the one to the farthest left had red/maroon hair, dark red eyes, and dark red markings.

"What the…" Loke trailed off.

"Fascinating, aren't they Leo?" Joseph spoke from outside the barrier. "What you are looking at in front of your very eyes are the results of Project Arcane. Indeed, they are Acnologia, yet they are also not. Clones, mere copies of the original dragon slayer. They are somewhat perfect replicas. The other features were added in there to tell them apart."

"However, they still retain all of the original Acnologia's abilities, including dragon slayer magic. What's more, we've even removed the common weakness of transportation out of their DNA. They are practically invincible, and like dragon slayers who have the ability to transform into dragons, they won't age either. These clones are nearly the pinnacle of my career in scientific studies."

The lion spirit looked on, astonished. Yet, he had a terrible feeling about this. Creating life by scientific means, essentially becoming a god in that sort of way, was never meant to be. It felt as if a human gained Celestial Spirit status, or worse. And he was so sure that this wasn't going to end well if Joseph was the man who created these Acnologia clones.

"Why?!" Loke asked, unable to hide his shock and anger.

"They're weapons," Karen went on. "Tools of destruction. Imagine what could happen if the underworld knew of this. They would pay us so much in order to get one. Or perhaps, they could be used to my advantage. Just as you were."

Loke gritted his teeth. His former master still hadn't changed at all. She only saw spirits and things that were non-human only as tools to be used. And this angered him. It was the whole reason as to why he rebelled against her. So that Karen would learn her lesson in the treatment of other beings.

But when he found out about her "death," Loke was devastated. Never, ever had he anticipated that his actions would cause her to die. That it would lead to his banishment. And those three years of agonizing pain and his near death experience. The lion spirit had eventually lost hope in humanity. Not all humans were like Karen, yet humans could never understand the struggle such as his.

Then, Lucy had come along into his life. He had seen the way she treated her spirits, and he had felt envy. Jealously. Loke had wanted that treatment. He wanted someone who could understand and respect him, and not someone like Karen. He wanted to be loved, and not the false love that he knew he had during his playboy reputation moments. All Loke wanted was to be loved. Not thrown away like some sort of toy, as the Spirit King had done to him.

Eventually, Loke had found love, in the form of his current master. She had saved him from his impending death, something that he had wanted for the longest time. The lion spirit believed that he was just useless in the face of the judgement that was imposed on his very soul. Yet she made him believe. Lucy loved him.

And now, that love had been taken away in the form of his capture. The constant pain and agony that was caused by his transformation over the past two lesson that he tried to teach was all for nothing. And the life he once grieved over was very much vibrant, and wanted to make his own soul miserable as possible.

Loke hated. Hatred was rising from within him. And it was something he could no longer control.

"You still only see us as pawns don't you?!" he retaliated. "Don't you understand that we're living beings as well?! We are not meant to be tools! Celestial Spirits have emotions, feelings, sensitivity. Yet you still only see us as tools still. This is why I wouldn't listen to you in the first place!"

"Now let me ask you something. Why did you bring me here?! Just to see that there are more 'tools' under you just to spite me?!"

Instead of getting a direct answer like he wanted, Karen only smirked. She turned and directed her voice towards the Acnologia clone with light blue hair. There it was again, that sinister intent. And Loke was beginning to regret the words he said earlier.

"Four, attack Leo."

And the light blue haired Acnologia clone lunged at the lion spirit.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**That's the end of Chapter 7! Yee!**

**Project Arcane, aka the Acnologia clones, is a little thing I came up with. And yes, the science of cloning is somewhat possible within the Fairy Tail canon. END and the extra bodies for demons to live in created by Tartaros are proof of that. Seriously, while getting ahold of Acnologia's DNA is semi-farfetched, it could be possible. Anyway, the clones won't be a huge focus (although one will be in the future) but I liked the little symbolism they hold regarding how Karen previously saw Celestial Spirits.**

**Speaking of which, the whole mantra thing with the breaking of a contract is made up too. They didn't really explain how breaking a contract works per say, so I came up with that. And now you officially know why Loke wasn't as strong as he was! **

**Also, really sorry this was semi-late. I've been busy, with my room getting redone and schoolwork, and I had to take apart my desktop for a moment because the carpet is getting cleaned, so now I'm in the basement writing this lol too many excuses. **

**Lastly, tell me what you guys think! I love reviews! They keep me going and let me know you guys enjoy this story!**

**Anyways, Until Next Time, See Ya Universe!**

**Palkia**


	9. Claws of Battle

**Author's Note**

**Hello Universe! Palkia's back with Chapter 8! Yee!**

**Thank you to those who reviewed, favorited, and followed! It means a lot to me!**

**Now, onto the story!**

**I do not own Fairy Tail.**

**Chapter 8 **

**Claws of Battle**

"Four, attack Leo."

The light blue haired Acnologia clone, who he assumed was named "Four," lunged at him, with hardly any emotion on his face. Loke didn't expect anything like this at all. Heck, he didn't expect the clone to obey her just like that either.

Still, Loke should've expected as much. These were clones created by Joseph. Of course they were going to obey him, seeing as how, unfortunately, successful the scientist's creations were indeed successful in the past, referring to his current state. And they were clones of _Acnologia _for Spirit King's sake! Surely they would've rebelled or at least showed some sign of individuality by this point.

At that mental note, sadness and fury began to build up in his system. This was the whole reason he rebelled in the first place. To show that Celestial Spirits were more than just what they appeared to be. Even at the mention of, "spirits," should at least give the person a hint that they were in some sort of way, a soul. A unique, individual soul.

His rebellious efforts proved that theory. He could technically do whatever he so chose. Loke had the ability, as his magic allowed him to open his own gate and stay in Earthland for as much as three years, maybe even more if he just lounged around all the time instead of working. And of course he had a personality, one that could go from flirting with women to serious in a matter of a second. Sure, some spirits couldn't do that, but they had defining qualities just like he did.

To see this, witnessing the fact that Karen had gone out of her way after losing her original spirits to order the creation of clones, literal copies of a human/dragon being...it was more than just heartbreaking. It was downright horrifying.

The event itself just proved how cynical his now-former master was, since she just gave up her contract with him minutes ago. Karen did not care for anyone but herself. Ordering a clone to attack him, comparing the people in front of him to how they were just copies of the original, even more so than that, and nothing more. These clones in front of him had souls, otherwise they would just be machines, and Loke knew Karen wouldn't just settle for something like that. She wanted actual flesh and blood, but then again, while he wasn't flesh and blood, she still treated him the same as she did for her other spirits.

Loke was furious, or rather way beyond furious at this point. He didn't notice it, but his chest fur was standing on end, paws clenching. If anyone, and he meant anyone, found out about what occurred here, as well as what happened to him, no doubt that the entirety of the universe, yes even the Celestial Spirit Realm, would be in an uproar. Sure, he knew cloning existed, but to clone a dragon slayer, and a powerful one at that, there were bound to be laws that were broken.

He wasn't quite sure what exactly the humans of Earthland would do when his situation was to be brought up. Of course he knew there would be people who didn't care, and some who would be outraged, Lucy included. And the Spirit King's judgement would happen in a millisecond. Instant death. So much could happen if his location were to be found. What would his fellow spirits think of him? What would Lucy...Lucy…

Immediately, Loke was drawn out of his thoughts when he felt a rush of wind, having completely forgotten about the opponent in front of him. He managed to dodge the oncoming fist from the light blue haired Dragon Slayer, which had been bathed in a light blue light. It appeared to be that the color of the magic itself corresponded with the color of the clone's markings. This somewhat made sense, as the original Acnologia's primary Dragon Slayer Magic was a navy blue color, just as his markings, hair, and eyes were. Tenrou had attested to that.

The lion spirit wasn't quite sure how to describe the original Acnologia's Dragon Slayer Magic. In general, it appeared to have no type whatsoever, unlike Natsu's Fire Dragon Slayer Magic or Gajeel's Iron Dragon Slayer Magic. Even more so, as far as he knew, the original was not even weak to Dragon Slayer Magic in the first place, despite being a dragon. Of course, he was also part human, but the only weakness he seemed to have was the standard motion sickness that came to all Dragon Slayers.

So would it remain true to the clones then? Joseph had mentioned earlier that the weakness of motion sickness was removed, so they were practically invincible. So that would mean that all other types of magic would not be effective against them as well. In theory to some extent.

If he were to face this Acnologia clone, which was called, "Four," by Karen, most likely shortened for, "Acnologia Four," Loke would have to play it smart. He'd done his research on the original shortly after Tenrou, in the likely event that he should wind up encountering him in the future. The lion spirit was unfortunately resting after his battle with the possessed Capricorn and could not do much at that moment. But he could watch, and had seen the horror of the black dragon before everything was seemingly wiped out.

Afterwards, Loke researched. The Celestial Library had pretty much everything in regards to Earthland, even more so than any library on Earthland, so it was the best place to search. Crux had been surprised to see him there, asking as to why he would come anywhere near there, as the Zodiac Leader hardly spent any time at all there. But the Southern Cross probably, in reality regarding the recent circumstances since their master was missing, knew exactly why he was there. To see if the Black Dragon had any sort of weakness.

Unfortunately the search ended in failure, as that happened to be the only topic in the entire library that remained mostly a mystery. Irony in it of itself. But it came to no surprise. Since the Dragon King Festival, an event he was unfortunately a part of, Acnologia was nowhere to be found. He couldn't blame the guy, since he slaughtered the entire dragon population (save a few), he probably pondered what to do next. So he kept to himself mostly.

Up until seven years ago at least. That was when the Black Dragon appeared on Tenrou. For whatever reasons that were specified he didn't know, but Loke had a feeling it was because of the sole inhabitant on the island at the time. The lion spirit had seen Zeref there, and already having the unfortunate pleasure of meeting him once, he didn't feel like crossing paths with him again. So he left the Black Wizard alone, focusing on the S-Class trial with Gray. But he couldn't help but feel the biting urge at the back of his mind at the time that Acnologia would show up.

And he did, seemingly obliterating the entire island. The thought terrified him, wondering if Lucy was alright. The same could be said for her other spirits, but out of all of them, he was the most concerned. Hence his reasoning for researching Acnologia.

Yet, it would only turn out be a dead end. Almost absolutely nothing was found. Except for a few things; 1. Acnologia could intake any kind of magic, therefore able to consume any form of it, 2. He possesses the ability to "reap" the souls of dragons, leaving them in a "half-dead" state, although it is not certain if this only applies to dragons or all beings, and 3. The standard weakness of motion sickness applied to him.

In reality, Loke knew next to nothing. Unknown Dragon Slayer Type. Unknown abilities. Unknown strength. Unknown past. Unknown pretty much everything. Nothing was set in stone about the half dragon half human. So he and Crux decided to come up with a name for this magic.

Arcane Dragon Slayer Magic.

The element of it was not defined, and neither were his attacks and abilities. Arcane was chosen, meaning understood by few, mysterious, etc. And that was who Acnologia was; mysterious, unknown, not understood. It was fitting really. Still, it got him nowhere, and he could definitely use the information now.

At the moment, all Loke could do was dodge the barrage of fists filled with magic, which he would probably call by definition an, "Arcane Dragon Slayer's Fist.*" He realized that his speed was much faster than before, and his reflexes were more acute as well. Was it because of the serum Joseph had given him prior to this? Or was it something else?

He managed to block a punch by forcing his left hand, well paw, against Four's right arm. The sensation felt very strange, almost as if he could apply more force against the paw pads than what he could do with his hands. Still, Loke would've preferred if it was his actual hands rather than paws that blocked the blow.

But the lion spirit couldn't help think that these new features were somewhat useful as well. He hated as to how they came about of course, yet his newfound abilities have been proving useful in this fight. He had to fight smart, even with his lack of knowledge. And, Loke would have to make sure to not give in to any sort of rage that could possibly be drawn out from fighting. He promised himself that much, to never lose control.

Life would not let him have his way however. One split second later, and Four managed to punch him in the stomach with his right fist. Loke gagged, specks of gold blood escaping from his mouth. The magic hurt incredibly. It was nothing like he'd ever felt before, even during all the masters he served under. This was a burning pain, worse than Natsu's flames.

Falling to the ground, all Loke could do was take the nasty punches from the clone. They did not stop, as Four appeared to have no care or emotion whatsoever. It was most likely the case that he would continue until Karen ordered him to stop, and that wasn't happening soon.

"Ack!" Loke tried to refrain from suggesting signs of pain, but it was useless.

There was hardly anything he could do at the moment other than just take the blows. Getting up on his paws and knees, he grimaced, trying his best to retain the position. This turned out to be futile, as Four punched him to the ground, the amount of agony increasing. Loke gritted his teeth.

'_Can't...fight back!' _he thought. '_If I do, I'll only give her what she wants! But I… this pain… it's too much. I have to fight back.'_

A slash across his back brought his awareness forward. He withheld a scream of pain. Part of his already dirty suit jacket was torn up. Loke couldn't tell what exactly the attack was, but it was most likely something similar to a Dragon Slayer's Claw attack.

'_Keep resisting…' _

The attacks came faster, and it was becoming harder to ignore the pain any longer. He wasn't healing fast enough either.

'_Resist it.'_

Off to the side, Karen and Joseph watched. Loke could see the cynical look in his former master's eyes, seeing the pain inflicted upon him. She was enjoying this, this was what she wanted. To see him suffer.

'_I can't…' _

The other clones watched in interest, most of them remaining silent. But it was obvious to see what they felt through their eyes. They wanted a fight. All of them, except for the maroon-haired one on the very end. That clone seemed to be planning or thinking of something. Either way, it was a hopeless battle.

'_...give in…'_

A burning energy rose within him, threatening to take over. It was cold and dark, but it was tempting. His mind struggled, the external and internal pain afflicting him on both sides. The lion's spirit's eyes closed tightly, pain written all over his face.

'_...I...must…'_

In the darkness, he could see them all. The spirits of the Zodiac. Loke knelt in front of them, in pain, while they all appeared to be fine. There was a noticeable look of disappointment on each and every one of their faces, including Aries. One by one, they stared at him, their haunting glares sending a chill down his spine.

"Tch! You can't even take on one guy. Pathetic," Aquarius stated.

"Brother, why don't you fight? It's the most logical answer, yes?" Virgo commented.

"Piri-piri! He doesn't want to have fun!" Gemini danced around.

"He doesn't want to fight back-ebi," Cancer noted.

"Perhaps, moshi-moshi," Sagittarius stated.

"We are! He probably thinks he isn't strong enough to take him on!" Scorpio voiced.

"Mooo! He can't possibly take him down," Taurus agreed.

"Leo-sama does not possess the ability to fight off the clone, nor does he possess the strength either," Capricorn spoke.

"Leo...why won't you fight?" Aries asked.

Libra, Pieces, and Ophiuchus chose not to say anything. As soon as the ram finished speaking, they began to disappear into the darkness. Leaving Loke all alone. The darkness began to consume him, possess him. It was...his power…

'_...FIGHT!'_

At that moment, a surge of black energy that could only be described as an explosion of aura, burst forth out of his body, covering it completely. This blew Four away, who was just about to throw a punch. Joseph wasn't expecting this at all, and began writing things down. Karen...she was smirking in victory. It appeared that the lion spirit had finally decided to do what she told him to do.

Once the energy receded and disappeared, Loke appeared to have lost his mind. The whites of his eyes were now red, hazel orbs glowing under his glasses. Fangs flashing, extra sharp. Claws unsheathed. Tail swishing violently. If it weren't for the fact that he still retained most of his human-like appearance, he would've looked much more terrifying.

The lion spirit got up slowly, staring down the light blue haired Dragon Slayer, killing intent within his eyes. On the other side of the field, Four also got up, now seemingly very interested at the being in front of him.

"**RRRRRAAAHHH!" **Loke roared. And the two lunged at each other.

To the clone's surprise, his opponent was much, much faster than before. So much so that it was Four who was in the position of defense at the moment, making attempts to dodge the incoming attacks. To say that there was a change in fighting style was an understatement. This was completely different.

Before, Loke fought with somewhat calculated moves and stances. While it was mostly dodging, the blocks he applied to the Dragon Slayer were timed carefully and strategically. Even while he was on the ground, there was still that sense of calculation, of thinking. It was nearly impossible not to notice.

And then, there was _this. _The lion spirit had seemingly adapted a new fighting style entirely. Instead of playing it smart, attacks were fast. It was a hand to hand combat in a way, but Loke was using his claws to slash away at this opponent.

While he didn't shout out the spell he was using, it was obvious at the fact that he was using Regulus Impact. Yet this was entirely different from anything like it before. Regulus Magic is a variation of light magic. However, the appearance of it now was vastly different than before. The color of it was grey, and it took upon a flame-like image. It engulfed Loke's paw as he clawed at Four, and it appeared to be very effective against him.

"This is fascinating," Joseph commented off to the side from where the battle was taking place inside the barrier. "Leo is known for his Regulus Magic, and makes very good use of it. However, what we're witnessing here is the development of something entirely new, it seems."

Karen looked at him with a questioning gaze. "Spirits aren't supposed to learn different kinds of magic," she stated.

"That may be true," Joseph answered. "Humans are able to learn multiple kinds of magic because of the way we are structured. Spirits cannot necessarily learn different forms of it because of their composition. They are beings made of magic. As such, they are limited to the type of magic their body is made of."

"For example, Aquarius, the Water Bearer, is composed of Water Magic, so she can only use Water Magic. However, Leo is composed of Regulus Magic, a deviation of what we know as Light Magic. While he may only be able to use Regulus Magic, theoretically it is quite possible that he could learn other types of Light Magic. Again, he is only limited to that."

"If a spirit were to try to learn a different type of magic, say Dragon Slayer Magic for instance, their body would naturally reject it. Wouldn't comply with it in simplest terms. With the presence of the magic that makes up their body and the other foreign magic, both forces collide and fight with each other, and as a result, the spirit would die. Explode. Cease to exist. Of course that is in the case that a spirit fully masters that type of magic."

"The only exception to this rule is Transformation Magic. I believe this to be true as this type of magic somewhat, "moves," magic particles instead of trying to fuel them with energy. Hence why the lion serum I developed works on Leo, and that is how Leo disguised himself for those three years. Magic items are also an exception, as they are external."

Turning his attention back to the battle at hand, he saw Loke pushing the clone nearly to the ground. "In this situation, it's entirely different. It is not likely to be Transformation Magic. It could be a variation of Regulus magic. Yet if that were the case, it wouldn't be as effective against Acnologia Four, as all the clones are meant to withstand any type of magic, even Dragon Slayer Magic, regardless of the circumstances. This also holds true for the original Acnologia."

"So then what could it be then? Are the clones not able to resist Regulus? That wouldn't be true, since I tested many different kinds of magic on a few of them yesterday. They resisted Light Magic, so in theory they should also be able to resist Leo's Regulus. However-"

An explosion was heard, and the two diverted their attention back to the battle that was occurring. Hardly anything could be seen as the smoke was covering the area. Once it cleared, it revealed a shocking revelation. Joseph could hardly believe it.

Acnologia Four was unconscious, with Loke standing next to him, almost untouched, like he had healed instantly.

"Three, attack Leo!" Karen shouted.

The yellow haired Arcane Dragon Slayer nodded, lunging at Loke. And once again, the lion spirit was in the middle of another fight. Seeing the unconscious clone again, Karen yelled to one of the clones.

"Two, take Four out of the fighting area."

Two, otherwise known as Acnologia Two, the Arcane Dragon Slayer with green hair, markings and eyes, nodded at her command. Rushing out to the battle area, he picked up the fallen Four, dragging him back to the area where the other two clones stood. The maroon haired one, Acnologia Zero, watched in interest, but also in bewilderment.

'_What is the meaning of this fight?' _he ponders. '_Is it only to cause destruction, as Karen had mentioned? What is the point of destruction then? Harm? Hate?'_

After he was put asleep days ago, the moment he discovered his existence, information had flooded his mind. Now, he knew more than what he knew when he woke up in the tank for the first time. Zero understood more things now.

First of all, he was a clone. In reality, it was a term he was not quite fond of. A copy of the original...it didn't sound right in his mind at all. Second, he apparently had "brothers," who were the other clones next to him. Third, their "master," was Karen, the same woman whom he saw when he first awoke in the tank.

Unlike his so-called brothers, Zero didn't trust Karen as much. In his mind, it probably has something to do with his early awakening, and with the scientist having to put him back to sleep as soon as possible. His dreams haven't been getting better either, seeing strange events and places that he never went to. On top of that, it appeared that the most noticeable difference, one that Karen had no clue about, was that he possessed emotions.

The only other "brother," that possessed such an ability was One, but One didn't possess all of the emotions. Only those of anger, hatred, etc. Still, it made Zero feel apart from them, unique in a way. It was ironic, considering the fact that he was merely a clone.

Of course, he was just beginning to learn things. Not everything was given to him when Joseph implanted information into their minds, with the scientist saying that it was all the information they needed. He had a feeling that there was so much more than what he could comprehend at the moment. People, places, things. Many, oh so many things to find. His dreams showed him that.

Not only that, but there was a sense of familiarity with the opponent that Three was currently facing at the moment. Karen had called him, "Leo," and he just knew that the name of that being came from his dreams. Perhaps the original, oh how he hated referring to him as such, somehow knew Leo.

Speaking of which, Karen had never given him or his brothers much information on the person they were cloned from. The only thing he knew was that he was cloned from a Dragon Slayer named Acnologia, as well as his magic, and as such, his name was Acnologia Zero. He didn't like his own name. It didn't feel right in the slightest.

There were many things that Zero didn't like. His brothers, Joseph, Karen mainly. This place in general, it felt like...what was the word for it? Prison? Some things he still didn't know, and unfortunately the chance for that time to come would probably never happen. But that couldn't help dissolve his curiosity to learn more. Knowledge was the very thing he desired.

With said want for knowledge and his growing curiosity, Zero couldn't help but wonder as to why this, "Leo," was treated this way. Karen didn't treat himself or his brothers in a similar fashion at all. Or she could be, but he hasn't noticed. Still, this unknown hatred towards Leo seems rather...unnecessary in his opinion. Perhaps he was also a clone, and did something wrong.

'_No...he can't be a clone…' _Zero thought. '_He's...something else entirely. He doesn't feel like the others, or Karen and Joseph. Even now, something's changed. Before, his energy was lighter, almost non-existent. Leo didn't want to fight at all. Now, it feels slightly crushing…'_

Watching the fight continue, he began to notice how Three was struggling more and more. Leo's speed had increased drastically, darting from side to side with great accuracy, clawing away at the opponent in front of him. Zero frowned, eyes squinting in thought.

In the midst of his attack, Loke pulled back, right arm raised. A grayish golden color of magic energy engulfed his arm. He swung down, and as he did, a slash of energy came off of it and raced towards Three. The clone tried to defend, bringing up his arms in defense. Yet the blade of energy hit Three head on, digging in and causing the clone to fall to the ground, unconscious.

Loke, in the deranged state that he was in, smirked in victory, his eyes wild with excitement. He seemed to be enjoying the thrill of battle in a sense. Zero was slightly surprised. This was not the same person he saw moments ago, when Four was graciously punching him consistently.

"Two, attack Leo! One, take Three out of the fighting area!" Karen shouted from outside the barrier.

The green haired dragon slayer nodded at the command, and just like Three, he lunged at Loke, once again ensuing another battle. One however, slightly scoffed, which didn't do unnoticed by Zero. He moved from where he was sitting and walked out to the battle field, picking up Three and dragging him back to the area off to the side where Zero stood. Not caring one bit, he threw the unconscious Three on top of the unconscious Four.

"Pathetic idiots," Zero heard the purple haired Dragon Slayer groan. "Can't even speak or fight when needed to do so." Zero only sighed, and turned his attention back to the newest fight.

Outside the barrier, it was very clear that Karen was losing whatever patience she had left. She wanted to see the lion spirit feel more pain and agony. Yet somehow, he was holding his own against the clones, with some newfound energy that the scientist next to her couldn't even describe. At least the sudden change in behavior was somewhat satisfying. Karen turned to Joseph, with an annoyed look on her face, clearly showing that her calmness was gone.

"I thought you said these were _Acnologia _clones, not just humans," she scoffed in an irked tone.

"Yes, they are, Lady Karen," Joseph answered. "Keep in mind that I did not expect the sudden change in Leo's magic energy nor the different behavior. However, what you should notice is that the lower the clone's number, the more powerful they are. Zero is the highest on the scale, and Four is the lowest. I somewhat expected Three to give Leo a challenge, but this is unprecedented…"

There was silence between the two for a moment as they watched the lion spirit fight the green haired dragon slayer. It appeared that this battle wasn't as easy as the last two. A few scratches were noticeable on Loke, parts of his clothing torn. However, he still fought on, rage and hatred totally consuming his very soul. It seemed very impossible to take him out of this trance.

Karen noticed the eerie silence and the questioning look on Joseph's face. "What?" she asked.

"I have a theory," he pointed out. "And unfortunately, I don't like the sound of it at all. Of course, it is only a theory, and is not one-hundred percent true unless I run more tests. If I have the ability to do so, I need to be completely sure as well. This is too big of a possibility to miss."

"Well?" Karen questioned, and gestured for him to continue.

"From what we are currently witnessing, it would appear that Leo's attacks are, theoretically, working in reverse. You can't really call it working in reverse, but that's the most logical description I can give at the moment. Moreover, his magic, his magic particles, are also working in reverse, triggering such a reaction that we see right before our eyes."

"You and I both know, Lady Karen, that magic comes from the spirit. The soul. Magic is created through the sheer willpower and mental ability of the soul. If you asked anyone that, that is what they would give you. For spirits, it is a little different, as they use their constellation to slightly influence their power, but in the end, it's all the same."

"As such, when magic forms, it gathers into particles. Said particles give off a certain field, like a charge, just not like a positive or negative charge. When those particles are released, they react in different ways, depending on what kind of magic it is. Fire magic incinerates a piece of paper, while water magic would soak a piece of paper."

"However, what Leo is currently demonstrating is possibly quite the opposite of this. His magic particles are producing a field that is in reverse. Normal magic particles would produce a field in one direction, while Leo's producing a field in the opposite direction. In other words, when one of Leo's attacks hits one of the clones' magic attacks, it cancels it out, leaving nothing."

She sat in silence for a moment, now beginning to understand what he was implying. Her mind mulled over the possible ideas that could come out of this. If what Joseph said was true, and running more tests would prove his theory correct, then that meant…

"You're saying that…" she began.

Yes, there's a possibility that he might have…"

An explosion muffled what he said. But Karen could read his lips, and was rather shocked and full of disbelief.

"You can't be serious Joseph," Karen stated. It almost sounded too good to be true. "He would've disintegrated at this point if that were true, right?!"

"Like I mentioned before," he continued. "It's only a theory. But again, watch the battle and you'll see."

Karen scowled, turning her eyes towards the fight in front of her. The lion spirit paid no attention to the fact that he was being watched. He just seemed to be enjoying the battle. For the most part, it seemed that the fight would be in Loke's favor, as Karen noticed how exhausted and damaged Two was. Yet Loke also seemed to be breathing heavily as well. Perhaps he wouldn't have to fight all the clones if this kept going.

The clone raced forward, hands covered in dark green colored magic, just like his hair and his markings. Loke only stood still, and the mysterious, grayish yellow energy encased his paws in defense. Two threw his magic at the lion spirit, aiming straight for the chest. Beams of energy, one from each hand, flew towards Loke at astonishing speeds. It was almost as if the clone was throwing a spear.

But, to many of the spectators' surprise, Loke did the unthinkable; He _caught _the spears of energy in his own paws. And, slowly but surely, the dark green colored magic disintegrated into nothingness, shocking Karen, Joseph slightly, and even Zero. In the middle of it all, Loke was completely unfazed.

Racing forward, the lion spirit encased his right paw with grayish yellow energy. Speed unrivaled by anything at the moment, he darted back and forth, avoiding any punch Two tried to throw at him. An opening was seen, and in an instant, Loke slashed across the Dragon Slayer's chest, bringing him down. The fight was over yet again. Two was unconscious.

Karen gripped her own arm with her right hand in frustration, having nothing else other than a chair to take out her anger on. It has been a while since she felt this conflicted. In one hand, she wanted to see Leo suffer, pain inflicted upon by the Acnologia clones. All of them would hardly get a test run if that were to happen.

On the other hand, she couldn't help but feel slightly irritated that these clones, that were said to be invincible for the most part, were getting defeated and destroyed by a mere Celestial Spirit. But, it made up for the fact that once said spirit realizes what had happened, there would no doubt be some sort of repercussion in his mind. And that was what she was looking for. Weakness.

Still, it was an interesting sight to see. Leo was exceeding her expectations significantly. Perhaps, if Joseph's theory was indeed correct, she could use it to her advantage. Even if it wasn't true, Karen could still bend the facts in her favor against the lion spirit. This was definitely something noteworthy in her opinion.

"One, attack Leo! Zero, take Two out of the fighting area!"

Both clone Dragon Slayers went forward, one prepared for battle, the other with questions floating around in his mind. Zero picked up Two and began to drag him back to the spot where Four and Three currently rested at the moment. However he couldn't help but see the smirk on One's face.

'_Something is going to happen,' _Zero thought. '_I'm not sure what it is, yet I have this feeling…'_

As soon as the maroon haired Dragon Slayer was off to the side, One turned to Loke, excitement dancing in his eyes. Running his dark hand through his purple hair, he glared at the lion spirit, raising his magic energy unconsciously.

"Well now," One began in a gruff voice, and Loke's eyes slightly widened, as if he noticed the speech pattern. "Looks like I'm impressed. You managed to beat those worthless idiots up like it was nothing. This doesn't happen at all."

The lion spirit stood silently as One spoke, fangs flashing. "I mean look at this! I thought you were some pathetic imbecile who couldn't even handle one punch! But it looks like you can. Half of the battlefield is blown to bits from your handiwork! That is quite interesting."

"I like seeing this. All the destruction you've caused. It actually makes the area look intriguing. Riles me up. It riles you up too, doesn't it? You like destruction too, yes? I can see it in your eyes. Look at yourself! Even your own claws are stained!"

And just for a second, Loke's eyes flickered out of the rage, and he _saw. _It was all there. All of it. He was able to register the clone's words. Loke was afraid to look down. He could feel his paws, no, his entire arms, shaking in fear.

'_No…' _he thought. '_Please...what happened?! What did I...do?!'_

His eyes darted to his paws for a split second, then went back up. He silently begged that this was all a dream. That it wasn't real at all in the slightest. But Loke's curiosity took over, and he lifted his paws to his face. And there on his claws, was blood. It was obviously not his, because it was a dark crimson.

Though, it was a very grave mistake to do that, as one sniff from it sent the lion spirit back into his deranged state. He gritted his teeth, showing his fangs once more. Snarling, Loke rushed towards One with astonishing speed. The clone smirked, purple colored magic flowing from his fingertips.

"Now this! This is what I want to see!" One shouted, and also rushed forward with blinding speed.

Their fists clash, sending shockwaves across the area. Even though there was a barrier up, those outside of it could still feel the immense power of the two combatants inside of it. Zero was not surprised by the display of power, but rather by something else in particular. He wasn't sure if anyone noticed it, but he was hoping that no one, especially Karen for some reason, noticed it at all.

'_Leo looked...frightened? Is that the word for it? He seemed to come out of that state he was in earlier...something is not right about this.'_

Zero knew nothing of the event that occurred. This was his first time he was experiencing it. He knew that Leo had acted much differently at the beginning of this entire ordeal. It looked like he didn't want to fight Four. Then, all of a sudden, that black energy came out, and he fought. And now...it appeared that he slightly came out of that state, just for a few seconds. Could it be that this state wasn't his own doing?

The Dragon Slayer sighed, turning his attention back to the fight at hand. In all honesty, he didn't want to fight Leo. He had questions rather than the need to battle. Would Zero fight if One was defeated? Most likely, since Karen would order him to. Did he like Karen? Not particularly, but he didn't want anything to happen as a result of saying no. Of course, Zero didn't know if something would happen should he choose not to do anything. Yet a feeling lingered, so he assumed it would.

Again however, he wasn't sure what to think. Logistically speaking, Zero was born (or created, or came into existence, he wasn't sure what to call it) only a few days ago. And it was Karen, well mostly Joseph, who helped bring him to where he was now, standing and watching the fight. But did he trust them overall? Not entirely.

There was a strange feeling he acquired when he first woke up in that machine. His so-called brothers never woke up there. They woke up on beds much later. When they all woke up, they were treated well and were given very high quality accommodations. But the lab gave off an eerie feeling. It was one reason why he didn't completely trust them. They had said he was a clone after all. A mere copy of the original. Surely they wouldn't care as much, would they?

His thoughts drifted to the fight again. '_It appears they are evenly matched,' _Zero pondered. '_If it weren't for those injuries he currently has, Leo most likely would've defeated One by now and would be facing me. Or rather, their fight would've been over much, much sooner.'_

It was a slightly nervous thought, he realized. At this point. Zero didn't want to fight Leo. There had to be a way around this. What were the chances that he was weaker than Leo? Would he also end up unconscious like his brothers? Would he get hurt too? He never really felt immense pain before. Would…

'_No,' _he chastised himself. '_What I'm watching now proves that there will be no fight against him…'_

"Come on now, you pathetic cat!" One shouted. "Is that the best you got?! Come at me faster! Make your punches harder! You're starting to bore me! What happened to all that destruction earlier, huh!?"

'_Cat?' _Zero wondered.

While One was ranting for the spirit to do more, Loke was not paying attention in the slightest. It was almost as if his brain was turned off, and his body suddenly went into auto mode. He did not listen to the purple haired Dragon Slayer in front of him. However, he could feel the rise in anger from the clone. And that made him attack faster, pleasing One.

Blows were blocked. Kicks were caught. Punches were thrown. Magic on the other hand...became nonexistent for One. Whenever he tried to encase his hand with Dragon Slayer Magic, it seemed to disappear when he tried to hit the lion spirit. It was almost as if the attack just disintegrated in just a second, something he never had seen before. However, that didn't faze one in the slightest, and he continued his attacks with great momentum.

They attacked each other, faster and faster, harder and harder. Both were reaching their limit. At last, Loke's left paw collided with One's right fist, each encased with magic energy. The collision was instantaneous, sending a whirlwind of energy in all directions. This was the deciding blow, Zero knew this. He would know what the results would be as soon as it became clear.

When it did, he wasn't surprised. Both competitors stood, each holding their own. It was hard to tell who was the victor. There was a visible gash across the lion spirit's stomach, going from his top right shoulder to his lower left hip. One also had his share of injuries, a few notable gashes on his side. They were trying their best to stay standing. And then it happened.

The purple haired Dragon Slayer swayed and fell to the ground. Unconscious.

Zero didn't need a command to tell him to go out there. Before Karen could shout at him to do so, the maroon haired Dragon Slayer walked out to the field. He stopped right next to One, who was on the ground and unmoving. There would be no need to move him. After all, he would just have to endure the next few seconds.

Unlike his brothers, he chose not to attack Leo at the moment. Instead, he just watched. On the other side of things, Loke struggled, breathing haggard, stance unsteady. The haunting glare in his eyes flickered. The lion spirit snarled at Zero in rage.

But the maroon haired Dragon Slayer saw it, even if it was just for a second. The sight of his opponent's eyes widening after a shock of pain. Leo falling forward. Magic energy disappearing, as well as the rage. It was over. He finally fell unconscious to the pain. No more fighting for the day.

"Release the barrier!" Karen ordered.

Around them, the magic barrier released. Not that it really mattered much, but it was at least helpful to keep the damage in. Zero sighed, neither liking nor hating the results of the event. He picked up One and dragged him over to where the other clones were currently lying unconscious. With his sharp hearing, he heard Karen and Joseph walk over the person lying on the ground still.

"I'll admit, I was rather disappointed that he managed to defeat nearly all of them…" Karen told Joseph. "However, it seems that releasing him from my contract has done a good amount to him. I'm impressed, Joseph."

'_Contract?' _Zero wondered.

"If you do not mind, Lady Karen," the blonde scientist began, "I would like to examine him once more, after he had healed of course. I need to prove that theory to be true."

"Yes, you may do that," she answered. However, before Karen could walk away, Joseph stopped her.

"One more thing. The request you made earlier, the key? It is almost done. The designs need to be added, and then it is complete."

"Good," she said, smirking. "Tell you men to bring Leo back to his cell. I'm done with him for the day."

With that, Karen left the room, closing the door behind her. Joseph began calling up some of his assistants and ordering them to move Leo. All the while, Zero listened in, curiosity peaking. He had questions, and wanted them answered soon.

* * *

The familiar sound of chains clanging against the ground woke him. In all honesty, Loke felt awful. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so beat up and exhausted. Consciousness began to return to him, even though the darkness stuck around.

What happened? Loke could hardly remember anything that transpired within the last hour or so. More importantly, how long had he been out? Why was he knocked unconscious? The lion spirit had so many questions running through his mind that they were all impossible to answer. Well, they were possible, if he could wake up that is.

And at that moment, light entered his field of vision. He opened his eyes, realizing he was back in his cell. Loke felt the familiar feeling of his wrists and ankles chained up again. Looks like his magic was once again restrained, a thought he didn't like thinking about.

Overall, the area appeared normal. Same old chains. Same old walls. Same old maroon haired person bandaging up his stomach. Same old...wait. Loke nearly stood up in panic, but a voice told him otherwise.

"Don't move," he spoke. Loke obeyed, not even moving an inch.

"If you attempt to do so, you may hurt yourself otherwise," the young man continued. And...was that healing magic he was using on him?

"You're...one of the…"

"I am," he replied. "I am called 'Acnologia Zero.'"

If Loke wasn't so hurt, he would've scoffed loudly at the title. "She wasn't...too original...with the name was she?" the lion spirit said.

"I do not understand."

"There has to be a better name for you than that," Loke stated.

"Why?"

"Your name is who you are. I'm sure she didn't tell you anything about individuality, am I right?"

"I do not follow."

"Karen."

"Oh," Zero said. "I do not trust her, if that is what you are asking."

"No not exactly, but that's a relief to hear."

"Hmm?"

"Never mind," Loke said, brushing off that conversation. "Why...are you helping me? Healing me, I mean."

The Dragon Slayer didn't answer him at first, thinking over what he should say. Eerie silence plagued the area around them for a few seconds. He came up with the most logical, and truthful, explanation he could think of.

"You look familiar," Zero answered. "As if we have met before. And, I felt that fighting was pointless. There was and is no need for it."

Loke was confused. "Fighting?" he asked.

"You do not remember?"

Before Loke could ask any questions, Zero suddenly turned his head, as if he heard something. The lion spirit remembered that Dragon Slayers were known to have exceptional hearing. He saw the maroon haired man get up and begin to walk away.

"I must leave for now," he said. "I may come back for some...answers. I hope we meet again on better terms…"

Zero opened the door, and closed it behind him, leaving Loke alone in the cell. The lion spirit decided to not move at all, not wanting the recent healing to go to waste. After all, when was the last time he actually got healing in the place. Furthermore, when was the last time he wasn't in pain at all in this prison?

Loke sighed, closing his eyes. '_Why can't I remember anything from earlier? I remember the clones, Karen ordering one of them to attack me, and then-'_

At that moment, he gripped his head as he lay on the stone floor, a massive headache washing over him. He remembered all of it. What happened. Why it happened. The fight. The shouting. The pain. Misery. Hatred. Fury. Anger. Darkness. Loathing. Realization. Horror. Terror. Blood. Destruction. Kill. Kill. Kill!

Loke screamed.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Arceus, I am so sorry this was late. Legit, the last two months have not been kind to me. Having to deal with remote school, then going in and out of writing phases, and at one point I lost interest, which never happens. But I decided to pick this up again after realizing that school ended (out for summer) and I regained interest. Also I discovered Bleach (Toshiro Hitsugaya is my favorite, expect a one shot or two about him in the future lol).**

***Okay there's a lot to explain here. First of all, not much is known about Acnologia (I.e. type of Dragon Slayer besides First Gen, names of attacks he can use in human form, background besides one minor scene in the anime, etc. thanks FT for not going much more into him) So a vast majority of information besides the canon stuff is based on what I believe would make the most sense for him. Somewhere, not the official FT wiki, I read upon that he was called, "The Arcane Dragon," so hence, "Arcane Dragon Slayer," and, "Project Arcane." There might be an interlude chapter next describing the nature of this, so hopefully that'll explain things.**

**Also, about Loke's magic in regards to the situation. No, it's not Dark Regulus, nor the formation of it rather. Dark Regulus, for those who didn't watch the filler, is the opposite of Regulus that Eclipse Leo used. Its element is classified as 'Dark' as opposed to Regulus being classified as 'Light.' This magic has a flame-like appearance (and somehow Natsu can eat it) and only absorbs light, whereas here the power Loke uses absorbs **_**everything. **_**It's actually something that FT never brings up (hint hint all my Black Clover people, you'll know what I mean).**

**Lastly, tell me what you guys think! I love reviews! They keep me going and let me know you guys are enjoying the story! I promise this whole two month hiatus never happens again lol.**

**Until next time, See Ya Universe!**

**Palkia**


	10. Claws of Questioning

**Author's Note**

**Hello Universe! Palkia's back with Chapter 9! Yee!**

**Thank you to all those who reviewed, favorited, and followed this story! It means a lot to me!**

**Now, let's go!**

**I do not own Fairy Tail.**

**Chapter 9**

**Claws of Questioning**

Twenty hours. It had been a full twenty hours since the mages arrived in the Celestial Spirit World for an unexpected party. The sense of time was different than in Earthland, feeling almost nonexistent as time passed quickly. To the Earthland mages who had arrived here, it only felt like a few hours.

While it may have seemed almost unbelievable, somehow they kept the fun and excitement going. After all, the entire gang deserved it. It wasn't every day that those who were believed to be somewhat dead for seven years suddenly come back from the dead. And not to mention the events that led up to that incident. Defeating Grimoire Heart was also a huge feat.

There was still plenty of food and refreshments out on the table. Natsu's big appetite had contributed to the constant replacement of empty plates, and it seemed like he and Gray were beginning to get in a contest between each other to see who could eat more. Levy had begun to read the book Crux gave her, and the Southern Cross helped explain things that were somewhat confusing.

All the while, the mages were enjoying themselves. Even the spirits too, were enjoying the celebration. The Spirit King had been right when he mentioned before that it would be an event that even the heavens would rejoice in. He too, was taking part in the festivities.

Lucy, their old friend, deserved this. Her friends as well. It had been centuries, or rather a thousand years since such a good master like the blonde mage had been in possession of so many keys. Even her ancestor, Anna, didn't have this many. It was truly a feat in it of itself.

And she was so respectful and kind to the spirits, including the lesser ones as well. Most of the time, silver keys wouldn't get fair treatment. Many Celestial Spirit mages sought out gold keys, which were more powerful and incredibly rare, as only one key for their kind existed.

Silver keys could be found practically everywhere. They were the more common spirits, and generally couldn't do much, most of the time only one or two tasks. Hence, there would be mistreatment. Previous masters had tried to get them to do more. In a way, even though the King wouldn't say it aloud, the silver keys were treated like property.

Of course, it isn't just the silver keys that got mistreated. Gold keys had also been on the shorter end of the stick at some points. Unfortunately, he was reminded of the whole ordeal with Leo and Aries and their master, who thankfully was long gone. He had been so blind at the time. How could he have not noticed the treatment the Ram and the Lion had received?

Worse, the King had sentenced Leo to death. And he wouldn't have gone back on it if it weren't for Lucy coming to Leo's aid.

That was what set her apart from previous Celestial Spirit mages. Sure, there were some good ones, but none like Lucy. He would dare to go far to say that she would die to protect her spirits. The incident with Leo proved that.

Speaking of their old friend, she had gone missing hours ago. The King has to admit that even he lost track of how much time had passed. They would have to return the mages to their home soon. Spending another day here would not be the wisest, considering the three month time difference. He should at least try to fix that at some point.

"Aquarius," he began. "Have you seen our old friend?"

The mermaid only scowled, since he interrupted her dance with Scorpio. "Tch! Last time I heard, Aries decided to take the brat around the Spirit World."

She and Scorpio then continued where they left off. The Spirit King smiled. It appeared Aries was starting to open up even more, which was good. Having nothing to worry about, he relaxed. He should continue to enjoy the celebration. After all, it wouldn't last much longer.

On the other side of the Spirit World however, the mood was quite the opposite. Instead of calm, there was panic. Instead of happiness, there was nervousness. And worst of all, instead of enjoyment, there was worry. Worry over a certain Zodiac lion spirit that could not be found.

Lucy and Aries searched _everywhere_. They went into every Zodiac spirits' home (even Aquarius' own. Lucy didn't care about the mermaid. She could kill her later if she wanted). Even the ones who weren't at the party, those being Libra, Pisces, and Ophiucheus, hadn't seen Loke at all. A quick shake of the head that meant no was all it took to send them off looking again. But those three also began to search for him once they heard the story.

They even went to the groups of silver key spirits littered around the Spirit World. Now the world itself wasn't as huge as Lucy thought it would be. Most of it was, to be frank, a bunch of stars and other constellations that did not have a spirit tied to them yet. And Aries knew of the areas where Loke would be allowed to go. While it encompassed a large area, even with his status he didn't have access to everything.

Sadly, their search for the missing Zodiac spirit only ended in failure. He was definitely not in the Spirit World, which had been one of Lucy's theories ever since the closing of his gate didn't work. His gate could not close if he was already here. But it was still worth a try to look for him.

For now, it meant only one thing; Loke was most likely in Earthland. And this made Lucy slightly angry at the thought of it. Currently at the moment, both spirit and master sat at the edge of Loke's home, slightly exhausted, Lucy more so than Aries.

The ram spirit was beginning to think that it was almost time for the Earthland mages to go home. Even with the special Spirit World clothing that was given to them, people from Earthland could not survive in the Celestial Spirit World for long. Without the clothes, they would've died instantly. With the clothes, at most they could survive being there for forty eight hours before they died.

It was the same for Celestial Spirits whenever they went to Earthland. They could only survive for a measurable amount of time. Of course, depending on the spirit, this amount of time varies. Aries could stay for at most seven days. And Leo...well he survived for three years before beginning to fade away.

She could see the exhaustion that was practically emanating from her master. This was bad. In such a tired state, it would probably be best for Lucy to return home and rest. They could search for the lion spirit from there, despite the intimidating amount of area they would have to cover.

"Lucy," Aries said timidly. "Maybe we should let the others know...about Leo."

However, an angered expression on Lucy's face seemed to have made her regret what she said. "Ah! I'm sorry!" She apologized.

"It's not your fault, Aries," Lucy answered. "I'm not angry at you. I'm just…"

In truth, she didn't know what to think. Their search was meaningless. They spent who knows how much time looking for a person who wasn't here to begin with. And wasn't willing to come back at the moment either. Why? Why wouldn't he come back home? Didn't Loke know of the party as well?

"I'm starting to believe Loke isn't just missing," Lucy answered. "He's probably…"

The possibilities of where the lion spirit was at the moment were endless. He could be on a job, and his situation was one he couldn't get out of unless it was complete. Or Loke could be...Lucy didn't want to think about it. And yet, the words came tumbling out.

"He's probably on a date with multiple girls and decided to stay a little later with them…" she whispered, slightly choking at the sound of it.

"Leo wouldn't do that!" Aries replied immediately.

To say Lucy wasn't shocked by the ram spirit's sudden outburst was an understatement. She didn't even say sorry afterwards for saying something so bold. Still, Lucy couldn't shake away her thoughts on the matter. Loke has been known to do it before. What was so different now?

She looked down at the starry ground below her. "When I first joined the guild, all he did was lounge around other girls. He tried flirting with me, but once he found out I was a Celestial Spirit mage, he ran away from me. Eventually I found out why, but still…"

Aries could almost feel how distressed Lucy was. That was one of the advantages of having such a strong bond between a spirit and their master. Only a spirit who had a real tight bond with their master could feel what they were thinking, their emotions, etc. It was almost like mind reading. She imagined that the bond between Leo and Lucy would be this strong.

"Loke promised me he would show up whenever I called," Lucy continued. "But while I was in Edolas, he didn't come. Virgo came instead and told me he was on a _date_. Later on he apologized, but it felt empty."

"Lucy…" Aries trailed off.

Said girl started to shake a little, and didn't realize that her eyes were beginning to water slightly. It somewhat hurt that he gave empty promises and empty apologies. Was anything Loke said actually what he meant? Or did he just toy with her? No, he wouldn't do that. So why then?

The blonde mage rubbed away the near invisible tears, stopping herself from crying. "He's such a jerk sometimes. All he ever does is make these false promises! Loke said he would be there for me, and he wasn't. I thought he said that he loved me, and then he decided to go out on a date when I called him!"

Her feelings over these actions had been bottled for for such a long time. So much so that Lucy never talked about it to anyone. Not even her closest friends and her spirits. Certainly not Loke of course. Her anger only grew when these actions continued. Even after the seven year time difference.

Loke continued to flirt with her. She tried to summon him and someone else would come instead. He would constantly declare his love, but would sometimes not show up when she needed him most. Was it bad to hate him for this? Lucy wasn't quite sure.

Yet it hurt. These actions hurt her deeply. Loke had promised, more like _devoted _himself, to her that he would serve her no matter what. And this was because he nearly died! She had saved him for Spirit King's sake! He was going to die and Lucy saved him!

"Over and over again, Loke says he loves me...but how can he love me if he's hardly there for me?"

Aries wasn't quite sure what to say to that. Yes, it was most definitely known throughout the Spirit World that a certain lion spirit had acted this way for the past few years. Even more so it was known that he had been trying to get the attention of his master for quite some time. And now she was hearing what her master had to say about this. It hurt her too, that her master felt this way about him.

The ram spirit had known Leo forever, since they all came into existence. He was a noble spirit, kind and caring, willing to do anything to protect those he loved and cared about. This had been done in the past, as her experience with Karen proved that. Should he find out that Lucy thought about him like this, he would do everything to change that point of view. It was who he was after all.

By chance however, if Leo did see how much this was hurting their master, part of him would probably be devastated. He would do everything in his power to make it up to Lucy. If only he was here now, to see how much she was hurting. It was then that Aries realized.

"You...you like Leo, don't you?" The ram spirit asked. Only to take it back immediately. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have asked you that again! After you just said-"

Lucy got up suddenly, and began to walk back towards the ongoing party. Aries noticed the sudden change in her demeanor, and got up as well, walking alongside Lucy. Neither spoke for a few minutes as they walked away from Loke's home. The blonde haired mage's thoughts were somewhat in a whirl at this point.

Could that be the reason why she was angry at Loke? Because of the times he didn't show up? No, she couldn't love him in that way! There wasn't even a slight possibility for it! And besides, he constantly proclaimed his love for her, and she never felt anything for him. So why now, why at this time, was she getting so frustrated? Why was she so hurt over him?

"I think...do I like Loke?" Lucy whispered.

While the lion spirit may have not always shown up, there were times where Loke was a true friend to her. He had saved her from Bickslow, and sometimes invited himself to the guild from time to time. She and him would talk with each other about mindless things, as well as important things, like the nature of Celestial Magic and how Lucy could use it to her advantage more.

And then there were the times when she had shooed him away. Most of the time it was from his flirting, but he was just being himself. And not to mention Lucy turned him down after he offered to take her out to dinner and…

She stopped her walking and realized. Could it be that the reason Loke spent less time in Earthland and rarely came on a job anymore was because of her? Did he go out on a date that one time because of what she said to him recently? Instead of him hurting her, had Lucy unintentionally hurt Loke all this time? After all, he was just being himself.

"Oh Loke...I'm so sorry…"

At first, her emotions were filled with anger towards the lion spirit. Now, they were filled with sorrow and somewhat of a longing. A longing to apologize to Loke about the way she treated him all this time. Maybe he was more hurt than she realized, and that was why he wasn't showing up. Could it be that he was avoiding her intentionally, because of his heart being…

"I broke his heart when he needed me," Lucy began. "He was having a bad day, and all I did was stand there like an idiot and say I had plans with Natsu. He probably thinks I'm with Natsu. I'm such a jerk."

"Lucy, we'll find Leo," Aries told her gently. "He'll...he'll come back. I just know it."

In all honesty, Lucy had forgotten that the ram spirit was there as well for a moment. But she was glad and she was. It felt slightly reassuring. While they couldn't find Loke here, he would be in Earthland for sure. And when he did return, Lucy would be the first to apologize for the way she treated him. They could start over from the beginning if need be. Yes, that sounded...nice.

'_Maybe I do like him…' _she thought, a small blush forming on her face.

Nothing else was said about the lion spirit after that. It was decided between the two of them that it would be best for them to return to the party going on at the moment. Once the mages returned home, then they could search for Loke. After all, Lucy was thinking, it was only one day. It wasn't like he was missing for three years, right?

"Hey Lucy!" Natsu called out to her as the two approached. "Where've you been? Gray's taking all the food!"

"Shut it flamebrain! You're taking all the food!" Was what came back from across the table they were sitting at.

"Oh right! Well...Aries just wanted to show me around the Celestial Spirit World! That's all!" Lucy hid her reply behind a fake smile.

She didn't want to say anything else about Loke for now. They were only going to spend an hour or so here anyway. And Lucy didn't want to ruin their fun at this moment. As soon as they got back home, she would say that he wasn't at the party. Most likely, when Loke returned, no doubt that he would get a talking to over the matter. But it would definitely be for the better. After all, he did worry Lucy and Aries quite a bit.

An hour passed pretty quickly, and after all the dancing, excitement, and fun, it was finally time for the mages to return him. They were beginning to finally feel the effects of the Spirit World, despite going on for twenty four hours with absolutely no effects whatsoever. Of course, there were no ordinary mages either, so that had to account for something.

They gathered at the entrance to the Spirit World, gazing upon the scenery in front of them. For the majority of them, it seemed like the party had only started a few minutes ago. It had been an experience that occurred once in a lifetime.

"Well, old friend," the Spirit King continued, as the rest of Lucy's spirits had stated before that they would help her whenever she needed. "May you have the divine protection of the stars." He disappeared after that, going on to do whatever needed to be done in this realm.

"The Celestial Spirits sure do love you," Erza told her softly.

There was a little doubt that rose in Lucy's heart. The fact that Loke wasn't here made it flare up somewhat. But then again, looking at her spirits, she could see how devoted and loving they were towards her. Just as how she was to them.

"Everyone…" Lucy began, slightly wiping away the tears of joy in her eyes. "You're all wonderful friends!"

"Alright! We had a blast, but once we get back, we better train hard!" Natsu affirmed, ready to continue right where he left off.

For a moment, Lucy had totally forgotten about the Grand Magic Games. That's what they had been training for before Virgo took them to the Spirit World. Thankfully, it was three months away, so they had plenty of time to do some training. After all, seven years of being suspended in time can lead to others catching up to your strength. Not to mention their magic hasn't been used in that large amount of time.

"That's right. We got three months to catch up to all those other guilds," Gray noted.

"And beat Sabertooth!" Happy shouted.

Fairy Tail was no longer the guild they once knew when they returned from being suspended in time. But the mages were more determined than ever to fix that. No matter what stood in their path at the moment, they would overcome it.

"Oh, there is one thing I forgot to tell you," Virgo suddenly mentioned. "The flow of time is different in the Celestial Spirit World and the human world."

Lucy then saw Aries freeze up, eyes full of horror. The ram spirit completely forgot the time difference. She was terrified, and the tears that suddenly came to her eyes scared Lucy. Aries was beginning to shake slightly, and it sent a wave of fear through the blonde mage.

"You don't mean...like one year here is only a day in the human world or something?!" Natsu said excitedly.

"This would be a training paradise then!" Gray exclaimed.

"No," Virgo answered simply. "It's the opposite."

Lucy felt herself begin to quiver as well. The realization came too quickly. This was bad, extremely bad. If it were true that they had been here for a day, how long had they been gone from their home? And worse...she was beginning to think that Loke wasn't just gone for a day.

'_Please...don't let it be true!' _The blonde thought desperately.

They were beginning to phase in and out of existence, signifying their return home. Lucy took one last look at Aries, who looked ready to break down at the reminder. It was then Virgo spoke up again, further confirming their worst nightmare.

"One day spent in the Celestial Spirit World equals three months in the human world."

And the mages were gone from the Celestial Spirit World. As soon as they left, Aries broke down, falling to her knees. The other spirits gasped, rushing over to see if she was alright. She was crying, more like sobbing now. The sudden change had them all confused. Aries has her hands on her face, hiding her current state of emotion.

"It happened again…" she cried. "How...how could this happen again!"

"Aries?" Virgo asked. The normally calm maiden was showing emotion for the first time in a long while.

"L...Leo…he's…"

The other spirits caught onto what she said, and they looked around for him. And for the first time since they began the celebration, a realization occurred in all of them. There had been that sense that something was missing, but they couldn't figure out what it was. It was that sense of missing that they had grown accustomed to months ago in the Spirit World, one that had lasted for twelve days, and they hadn't bothered to figure out what it was today.

Leo the Lion was nowhere in sight.

At the same time Aries began to cry, Lucy collapsed to her knees on the soft sand of the beach they had been brought back to. It was the very same one they had been training on a day ago, or more like three months ago. She began to cry, forgetting the amount of training that was wasted during the time they were in the Spirit World. There were more important things than that at the moment.

"Lucy!" Natsu was the first to notice, after the initial shock of the time difference wore off.

Said mage fumbled with her keys, and pulled out an oh so familiar golden key. It was Loke's key. She held it out in front of her, right arm extended in the familiar fashion of summoning. All of the magic she had in her body poured into it quickly, like a rushing waterfall. She desperately wanted to summon him. She _needed _to summon him!

"Open! Gate of the Lion! Loke!" Lucy cried out.

Just as she had tried to summon him this morning (she didn't want to say three months ago), nothing happened.

"Open! Gate of the Lion! Loke!" Lucy shouted.

Nothing. Not even a sign of the gate opening occurred. By now, the initial time difference shock wore off of everyone, and they were beginning to worry over her. Why was she trying to summon the lion spirit? They had just returned from the Spirit World, hadn't they?

"Open! Gate of the Lion! Leo!"

Lucy had put everything she had into this summon. And once again, nothing happened. She was going to try again, only for a hand to grab her wrist and stop her from wasting all of her magic.

"Lucy stop!" Erza scolded her as she held onto the blonde mage's wrist. "What's going on?"

"Why are you trying to summon Loke anyway?" Natsu asked. "He was at the party, right?"

All at once, a realization overcame them as well. None of them had seen Loke at the party. The lion spirit wasn't there at all in their memories of the event. Looking over at Lucy, they could see the tears coming from her eyes.

"L...Loke...he's…" she began.

"...he's been in the human world…" Aries continued.

"...he's been in our world..." Lucy whispered.

"_**...for three months."**_

* * *

"Dragon King Festival?" Asked a maroon haired Dragon Slayer.

Since their first encounter, the Acnologia clone had begun to visit Loke in his cell occasionally, coming by whenever Joseph wasn't around or in the middle of the night when Karen wasn't monitoring the lion spirit. As the number zero and the most powerful clone, status had become a huge advantage to him. He could walk freely around the facility. And that meant he could get information.

Truth be told, he hasn't learned much since he awoke from his chamber. Joseph didn't even bother to teach him anything else, going off to say that the information he had now was good enough as it was. Still, Zero didn't believe his words, and chose to find out as much information as he could. And that led to getting some answers from a person he knew very little about but seemed oh-so familiar.

"Yeah, that's what humans call it, and not many know of its true history either," the person in front of Zero spoke.

Loke didn't mind talking to the maroon haired Dragon Slayer. In fact, it was somewhat of a blessing that he was able to talk to someone besides dealing with Joseph and on some occasions Karen. These secret meetings had given him the chance to somewhat forget about the pain and suffering he endured for the past three months.

Three months. Loke had been trapped here for three long, gosh darn months. Or what he believed to be three months. And no one, not a single soul had managed to find him. And it somewhat hurt as well. He wasn't quite sure how much longer he could remain here. The pain had only gotten worse, and it certainly wasn't the kind of pain that he felt from his life force slowly ebbing away. While his wounds from the previous battle had long healed, this pain was that of aching. The serum being the cause of it.

Still, by now something should've happened. Three months in Earthland equated to one day in the Celestial Spirit World. Surely by now, at least by now, someone would've noticed his absence. No spirit was just gone for a day in that time frame. If they were, either they were strong enough to hold out the three months of life force draining, or they were dead, key already gone from existence.

But Loke had neither of those happen to him. His life force didn't begin to drain at all because of the necklace around his neck. And last time he checked, the lion spirit wasn't dead. So someone should've seen that he was missing. Or they did, and they just didn't care.

No, that wasn't true. Aries would've noticed by now. After all, he had been staying in the human world for that amount of time for her. She had been abused, and in response, he rebelled. It had been painful and agonizing, only for it to end in disaster with banishment being the result. Did he regret doing it? Yes and no. Had he wanted Karen to die as a result? No, of course not. Did he want himself and Aries to no longer be treated as objects? Oh most definitely.

There haven't been any summoning incidents since Lucy attempted to close his gate. Loke wasn't quite sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing. Perhaps they knew he was missing and were adamantly searching for him. Or they didn't know and…

He just couldn't come up with an excuse as to why they, both Celestial Spirits and humans alike, would just forget about his existence. Unless...Loke wouldn't think of that. They would never abandon him. He was the Leader of the Zodiacs, their brother! The spirits respected and loved him! His friends at the guild would never forget about him! Lucy would…

What would she do? Rather, what is Lucy doing? Is she searching for him constantly? Or perhaps something else? She had to be searching for him. Maybe that was why Lucy wasn't making any attempt to summon him. And it was probably a good thing she wasn't summoning him. Otherwise a bolt of electricity would be rushing up his body right about now.

Despite not seeing her for that long, Loke still loved her. And he would continue to do so. even though he was still trapped here. Even with this pain, this suffering, his love for her wouldn't die, and he was determined to not let it die either. She was the sole reason as to why he hadn't broken down long ago in this dark cell. Lucy was out there looking for him.

"And that was when the original…?" Zero trailed off. He refused to call the person he was based off of by his true name.

"That's when he became what he's known for now," Loke answered. "No one knows his original name. He took up the name of a dragon that supposedly murdered his village. Acnologia, the dragon not the human, was apparently good at one point, and then turned evil."

The lion spirit sighed, lying against the wall, golden chains clattering. "In the Spirit World, there's a library there with information about the entire world, as well as significant figures in history among other things. But there isn't a great amount of information on him. He keeps mostly to himself."

"Have you met him?" Asked the Dragon Slayer. "You seem to have a sense of familiarity coming from you."

It had been revealed to Loke that Zero had seen flashes from time to time, or rather dreams and or flashbacks in a sense. The most logical explanation was that he inherited some of the original's memories. That would explain as to why he seemed so unlike the other clones Loke had faced. Now did Joseph or Karen know of this? It was hard to tell, but the lion spirit was hoping that they didn't know.

"Once, I remember…" he answered. "My master at the time was traveling in another country and he decided to let me stay with him for a short amount of time. At night, while he was asleep, I decided to explore a little, seeing that I didn't get much time outside the Spirit World. That's when I saw him."

His eyes looked as if he was somewhere else. "He was standing by a lake in a cloak, no one else was around. At the time I didn't realize who he was. No one, at the time at least, knew that Acnologia had a human form. Information didn't spread as fast as it does now, so most of us, including those in the Spirit World, knew barely anything."

"My memory is hazy from all the things that have happened over the past few months, so the exact conversation isn't something I can pull up. But it was strange. He knew for a fact that I wasn't human or dragon, so I think he was surprised to see me."

"Acnologia wasn't the ruthless killer that many had played him out to be. Oddly enough, I remember him saying something about not wanting anything to do with humans, and just secluding himself for the time being. Of course, I couldn't tell you what he is like now, as that meeting was about two hundred years ago. However, he probably hasn't changed much since then…"

"_Why do you serve humans?" _he remembered Acnologia asking. "_They mistreat you, use you. Surely you have the power to break free from them, do you not?"_

The lion spirit remembered himself thinking about the reason. "_I don't know," _Loke had admitted truthfully. "_I've been alive for so long that I can't remember when I didn't. And I don't think we ever did. And yes, I do, but if I try, I'll only be banished and die as a result."_

"_A shame. To think someone as respectful and honorable as yourself must serve under them…Some could have treated you as something worthless and you could not do a single thing. It irks me."_

"_That is the life we live."_

Perhaps it had been that conversation that stirred something in him. No one, as far as Loke could remember, had ever mentioned how bad their way of life was up until then. Sure, he had some bad masters up until that point, but he had been a streak of good ones. Karen at this point had become the worst by far, exceeding his previously thought worst master ever since she revealed herself to be alive and torturing him.

"It might've been Acnologia's fault for the events that led up to now," Loke admitted. "That conversation made me realize that Celestial Spirits aren't meant to be treated as tools and objects. For a long time, I mainly served under masters by myself, and usually didn't have many masters, since my power is a little too much for the average Celestial Spirit Mage. So often, people found my key and never used it."

"As time went on, I began serving under masters with a few other golden keys. The Ethernano in the atmosphere increased in this world over time, so more mages were stronger and able to summon me. Until...I served under Karen with Aries."

His paws clenched in anger, claws appearing at their ends. A low, feral growl resonated from this throat. His tail swished back and forth. This began to happen when Loke was angry. The natural instincts would sometimes take over, resulting in the display the clone saw in front of him.

"Karen _abused _her. Beat her. Forced her to stay until all of her life force was gone. And I snapped. I couldn't take it anymore. So I rebelled, something no spirit has ever done. And I got punished for it, as she faked her death so I could die here, alone and in pain, thinking that it was a sin and I was getting what I deserved!"

"I didn't die in the end, as I was saved by my current master, Lucy...and I love her. I would give my own life for her. She was the one who gave me back my reason to live again. That not all humans are bad."

"And now, I'm here. I didn't always look like _this." _Loke gestured his paws. "I've been tortured, hurt, and currently in a great amount of pain. And I've been losing that faith that had been ignited in me by Lucy. That's why I...I need to get out of here."

There was silence between the two for a few moments. The Dragon Slayer took in the information as much as he could. The feeling of pain that was etched into Loke's voice as he spoke of his tale kept gnawing at his soul, if he could even call it a soul. This was all true, and he had no doubt that it wasn't to begin with.

"I have always had this feeling of strangeness to her...but to think this…" Zero whispered. "I did not trust her to begin with, and now that statement stands. I am sorry that I had to bring about horrible memories when I was just seeking knowledge, Leo."

"Just call me Loke," the lion spirit told him.

"Why?"

That was a good question. Why exactly? It was the name he had taken up when he was in Earthland for those three years. Yet the name itself was a lot older than that. He couldn't remember who exactly gave him the name in the first place. Except for that hallucination he had after his _surgery_. Loke grimaced at the thought of that.

"I prefer it. It was the name I used for those three years. The guild knows me by that name anyway, so I've gotten used to it."

"You can change your name?" The clone asked.

Loke resisted the urge to be dumbfounded. The person in front of him was a clone after all, and hardly knew anything to begin with. But this also brought up the fact that the Dragon Slayer didn't really have a good name besides, "Acnologia Zero," and it was just a pain to say every time, being reminded that the person was a clone.

"You can go by whatever you want," he told him. "No one is going to stop you from doing so. And I don't think you want to be called Acnologia, do you?"

"I want…" the clone paused, trying to think of the right words. "I want...a proper name."

Outwardly, the lion spirit smiled at this. Now...what to name him. Acnologia was out of the question, since that name was already known and feared. Zero would just be attributed to the fact that he was a clone, something the Dragon Slayer probably wouldn't want to refer to either. Perhaps a combination of the two? And thus, an idea appeared in his head, and he said it aloud.

"Logio."

Said Dragon Slayer tilted his head in confusion. "Logio?"

"It's a combination of, "Acno**logi**a," and, "Zer**o**." I think that's how my name originated as well. A combination of, "**L**e**o**," and, "**ke**y," as in Celestial Key."

The maroon-haired Dragon Slayer thought about it for a moment. It certainly wasn't a bad name. It was an attribute to who he was, but at the same time, it held a little bit of uniqueness and originality to it. No, individuality. Was that the word for it? It gave him a sense of identity in some sort of way. He could choose the name he wanted.

"Yes, I think that name is...doable?"

It certainly wasn't hard to notice that the newly dubbed Logio didn't have much of an expansive vocabulary. This wasn't the most surprising, as he was barely taught anything by the scientist that created him. Not to mention it was probably a miracle he knew anything at all.

Regardless, that name would stick with him for now. He'd rather be called that than by a number or by someone else's name. It showed that he was his own person, not some copy or fake. Logio had his own identity.

He soon got up and began to walk towards the door. Loke noticed the sudden change and asked. "You're leaving?"

"He is coming," Logio answered simply, referring to Joseph. "It is best if I am not here. I should not be here to begin with."

Opening the door, he glanced back at the lion spirit, eyes showing a sympathetic gaze. Then, he closed the door, making his way back to an area where he wouldn't be discovered for the time being. Loke sighed, relaxing slightly. Maybe, there was some hope in this place after all.

About a few minutes later, the lion spirit heard the sound of the door opening. Logio had been correct when he knew who was coming. Joseph walked in, syringe in right hand, looking prideful yet calculating as ever. But there was something unusual about the scientist's demeanor now. He almost looked too happy to see him. And that certainly wasn't a good sign at all.

"Good morning Leo," he greeted in a calm, polite tone. "How are you today? Any recent aches or pains in your bones? Some sound bothering you?"

"Why are you in such a good mood today?" Loke sneered, getting into a fighting position to once again fight off the human in front of him.

"I think it would be you who should be in a good mood today," he answered. "Today is the last day I have to inject this serum into you. Isn't that wonderful?"

Hazel eyes widened at the words. Last time? Did that mean he was no longer going to get injections then? But why would Karen no longer require Joseph to give him more or it? Unless Loke has somehow outlived his usefulness to her, which he highly doubted.

"Oh don't look so scared. I can tell you are asking yourself as to why Lady Karen would no longer want you to have this. However, it isn't because of her judgement. It's because of mine."

"You see, with this final dosage, you will have enough of it in your system per say. I won't go into detail as to what this implies, as I want you to find this out for yourself instead. But I think you will enjoy the last one I give to you."

"Like I'm going to let you do that!" The lion spirit growled, claws unsheathing.

With great speed, Loke lunged at Joseph, taking him completely by surprise at first. He had underestimated his agility, but that didn't matter too much. The blonde haired man clad in a lab coat dodged to the side, grabbing Loke's left arm. Said spirit gasped at the strength.

"Now Leo, enjoy this dosage," he whispered. "For it will be that last time you will see yourself this way…"

A quick prick and it was done. He let go of Loke, sending him to the ground. The lion spirit hissed in anger at the fact that he managed to let him give him the dosage. But there was no pain at all with this dosage. Nothing happened after the first thirty seconds. This somewhat surprised Loke, until he heard something.

"_Open! Gate of the Lion! Loke!"_

Lucy was trying to summon him. And she didn't sound alright. Lucy sounded frantic, panicking even. His eyes widened, knowing exactly what was going to come as a result. He braces himself for the pain. And a second later, a shock of energy has made its way through his body, causing him to cry out.

"Ahhhhh!" He yelled in pain.

Once it was done, Loke fell to his knees, gasping for breath. Why was Lucy trying to summon him again? Hadn't she tried that before, as well as tried to close his gate? Surely Lucy knew he was missing. So then why was a summon being attempted?

'_Lucy?!' _He mentally cried out, hoping it would reach her. '_Can you hear me?! Please stop! It's hurting me!'_

"_Open! Gate of the Lion! Loke!"_

His pleas fell on deaf ears, as another shock wave ran through him. She sounded even more frantic than before, almost as if she was crying. Why was Lucy crying? Did something happened? Maybe she was on a mission or something of the like and none of the other Celestial Spirits could help her. Was Lucy being attacked?! Loke hoped she wasn't.

Joseph watched as the spirit in front of him began to struggle. He would have to wait to give him the dosage. But what Joseph saw was intriguing. The event going on in front of him was a result of Leo's master attempting to summon him. But the question was, why now? It had been three months since he was gone, and the last time Joseph witnessed a summoning was a week or two after they captured Leo. So what changed?

Regardless, his time here was done. So Joseph began to leave, opening the door that was the exit to the cell. He gave one last glance at the spirit, before he shut the door behind him. After all, that would be the last time he saw him like this.

The shock died down once again, leading to Loke falling to his knees, shaking. Something was wrong with Lucy, that much he knew. But why that was the case was beyond him. Of course, thinking about it was becoming harder and harder to do, as the pain from the shock was overwhelming.

'_Lucy...please…' _he begged. '_I'm right here, I-'_

"_Open! Gate of the Lion! Leo!"_

It only took those words to stop his mental cries. She didn't hear him. Lucy didn't hear his voice at all. Another shock of energy ran through his system, and it was more painful than the first two. Lucy must've poured everything she had into this one. The lion spirit knew his master was strong, despite the many times she openly doubted her strength, but this…

"**RAAAAAAAAH!" **Loke let out a roar.

Arms and knees no longer able to support him, he fell to the stone cold ground. His vision was beginning to fade between reality and unconsciousness. Unfortunately, there was hardly anything Loke could do about it. Hazel eyes began to close under dirty glasses.

'_Lucy…' _was the last thing he thought of before he was taken under.

And Loke would be awoken hours later to the sound of footsteps coming down the hall, and whip being slashed.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**That's the end of Chapter 9! Yee!**

**Sorry this took a while. Originally it was supposed to come out a few days ago, but we got hit by the tropical storm and lost power for about 24 hours. So I couldn't upload it till now. But I got it out in the end. **

**Anyway, here's some info. Note that the sense of time is different in the Spirit World than in the human world. This is really the only logical explanation I could come up with in regards to conversion between the two worlds. For context, about three days on Earthland translate to an hour in the Spirit World, one week translates to two hours give or take, four weeks aka one month translates to eight hours, two months would be sixteen hours, and three months would be twenty four hours, one day (the canonical time frame in which the gang was there). I think the best way to imagine if the mages were there for twenty four hours would be that a few hours could feel like twenty four hours (stupid explanation but it's the best I could do).**

**And Zero has a new name! Logio! I felt it would be better than calling him Acnologia Zero each time. It's pronounced Lo-gi-oh, the g is hard sounding like in Acnologia. Also I made up the whole thing with Loke's name. Though it kinda makes sense now that I think about it, since it's not spelled, 'Loki,' but rather, 'Loke.'**

**Lastly, tell me what you guys think! I love reviews! They keep me going and let me know you guys enjoy this story!**

**Until next time, See Ya Universe!**

**Palkia**


	11. Claws of Fallen

**Author's Note**

**Hello Universe! Palkia's here with Chapter 10! It's one you've probably been waiting for!**

**Thank you to all those who favorited, followed, and reviewed! It means a lot!**

**Now, let's get onto it! **

**I do not own Fairy Tail.**

**Chapter 10**

**Claws of Fallen**

In the seven years that Team Tenrou had been missing, the guild was hardly ever loud and rowdy. On some occasions, it would become loud, but it wasn't the same energy as when the most prominent Fairy Tail mages were around. Natsu mostly contributed to that factor, with a few others. The years went on, and nobody wanted to admit it, but it became quieter every day.

Then they miraculously returned from the dead. Well, not dead. Loke had visited the guild at some points, often he would say that they weren't dead, but in fact in some sort of in between state of existence, like they were sealed away almost even. The lion spirit couldn't exactly see them, but he could feel Lucy, meaning she wasn't dead. If that were the case, then it was most likely that the others were alive as well.

Indeed they were, and after an introduction from the _First Master _of all people, Team Tenrou had returned after a seven year absence. The guild had been filled to the brim with noise. Laughs, cries of joy, yells of rivalry over a spar. It was a good thing to hear, and the noise and rowdy-ness of Fairy Tail had returned.

But now, there was a different sort of ruckus. It wasn't the normal chitter chatter of happy times and successful missions. Or of random drucken fits and rivalry fights. No, this was a state of sound that was hardly, if ever heard.

It was a sound of slight panic. And it was over a certain guild member yet again.

An incident like this had happened years ago, before the S-Class trials were even thought of. One orange-haired man with glasses and a green coat had mysteriously left the guild for no reason. He broke up with all the girlfriends he had, and just left, leaving the guild in disarray. Why would he leave? What reason would he have to leave? Wasn't the guild his family?

Not many knew the truth of Loke the Fairy Tail mage. Many knew him as a womanizer and playboy. A powerful mage when it came to Ring Magic. But other than that, no one else knew much. But when the incident came up, the real truth came out. In reality, he was the Celestial Spirit Leo the Lion, who had been about to die had it not been for Lucy Heartifilia saving his life.

Since then, the lion spirit didn't come by the guild that often. It was understandable, considering he had been in exile for three years and was on the verge of dying. Not to mention that he was the Leader of the Zodiacs, which was a responsibility. So it had been accepted by pretty much everyone that Loke wasn't going to turn up much.

Today however, was a little different. For three months, the guild had been preparing for the Grand Magic Games. The past seven years had knocked Fairy Tail out of its position as the number one guild in Fiore to bottom last. But with the return of Team Tenrou, they were determined to turn that around by entering the Grand Magic Games and regain that number one position.

So imagine the majority of everyone's surprises when a few of the most powerful mages in the guild miraculously came back after three months only to find out that they had only been gone a full _twenty four hours _in the Celestial Spirit World. Now normally a bunch of them, mainly the old guild members, would've scolded them for not knowing the time difference in the first place. But when a post-breakdown (and probably on the verge of yet another one) Lucy Heartifilia walked in with the rest of them, they knew something was wrong.

Loke had been missing for three months. And no one knew about it.

Most of them knew, not so much the newer members but anyone who joined before the Phantom Lord incident knew, that three months spent in Earthland was considered deadly to a Celestial Spirit. Loke had somehow managed to keep himself here for that long, and the immense pain the spirit had described to them was unimaginable. And he lasted for three years! Most spirits would've been dead by then!

But he was Leo the Lion, the strongest, most powerful, Leader of the Zodiacs. There were some things that only he could do that other spirits couldn't. Was it the fact that he could keep himself here for three years without dying? It was possible. Of course no one really knew the true extent of his abilities, but the guild knew that Loke was powerful.

What concerned them the most was how he had hid himself away so much. Loke had been suffering in silence, believing that it was all his fault, and let no one in to help him. But what could've happened for these strange events to occur? Why had Loke been missing for this amount of time?

Lucy knew nothing about his disappearance. Absolutely nothing. And many could tell how much she was hurting from something like this. It had been Lucy Heartifilia who had saved him seven years ago. She was his master, and he was her spirit. They had a unique bond, one that knew no bounds. For even the blonde to not know why the lion spirit was gone was most definitely a tragedy.

So it became a race against time. Guild members somewhat ran frantically around, trying to find something to do. This was more important than the Grand Magic Games. Their guild member, their _friend, _their _family member_, was in danger, and there wasn't much time left to help him. For all they knew, something could've happened to Loke within those three months. And that something would not have been good.

Thankfully, one good thing that came out of being in stasis for seven years was the advancement of technology. Over the years, people had found new and improved uses for Lacrima. Many new devices were built, such as ones for communication, transportation, and even tracking systems. So while the guild had a lot of ground to cover, it was pretty much halved with Lacrima technology.

Yet, there was always the possibility that Loke's magic signature wouldn't be able to be found. And that was why search teams were also sent out. Some went to neighboring towns and forests, searching on foot for the lion spirit. Not that technology wasn't trustworthy. But sometimes you could find something or someone before anything else.

Currently at the moment, only about a fourth of the guild stayed behind at the not so new guild hall that was used during the seven year absence. Lucy was asked to stay behind, so that way they could get whatever information from the Celestial Spirits regarding the situation.

They too, were searching for the missing Zodiac spirit. After all, for a spirit of his caliber to suddenly go missing like that was never a good sign. So with some help from the Spirit King himself, he granted the Zodiacs his power to stay out of the Spirit World for a longer period of time than usual. Of course that wouldn't stop their life force from draining, but it would allow them to search for their missing leader.

Lucy had sent out some of her stronger spirits with some of the guild members. Capricorn, Scorpio, and Aquarius ( the last one requested to go with said scorpion spirit to the surprise of no one) could handle themselves on their own, but spirits like Gemini and Sagittarius were better off in a group. Virgo and Aries stayed behind in order to keep tabs on both Fairy Tail and the Celestial Spirit World.

Natsu and the others weren't out searching just yet. After the realization that three months had flown by without them knowing (and not to mention after Lucy's breakdown passed somewhat, with a little help from Erza on reassurance that they would find him) a random pigeon flew on top of Erza's head with a note, requesting that they come to a suspension bridge in the West Woods.

Those who were at the Spirit World Party went, except for the blonde Celestial Spirit Mage, who had gone to the guildhall to notify everyone, more specifically the master, or the situation. Thankfully Warren has been available at the time, so he was able to use his Telepathy to contact guild members who were far away. Master Makarov has approved of the search.

"Human or spirit, he was and still is a part of our guild," the master had stated specifically to her. "Loke is one of us. We'll get a search going right away."

"Fairy Tail!" Makarov yelled, via Warren's Telepathy. "Loke, a prominent member of our guild, has been reported missing for three months. Our knowledge of his disappearance has only been made known to us just now by Lucy, his master, after having spent some time in the Celestial Spirit World."

"Regardless of the fact that he is a Celestial Spirit, Loke is one of us, and also one of my brats. But he cannot survive in this world for much longer. Time is not on our side. I'm issuing a mandatory search for these next five days. The Grand Magic Games are important, but a family member is above that importance. Now get going you brats!"

Both Lucy and Makarov had heard the shouts of approval on their side. Immediately a communication base was set up inside the guildhall for Warren to use to keep in touch with everyone. The advanced Lacrima also helped with the communications, and their little set up was completed in no time at all.

Now, all they had to do was wait. It had been a few hours Earthland time since Loke's disappearance had been made known. And in Lucy's opinion, it had been the longest hours of her life. They had gone from being relaxed to being overly stressed in a short amount of time. Not to mention she was overly tired, having spent twenty four hours in the Spirit World, and needed to sleep.

But Lucy couldn't sleep. She wouldn't let herself sleep, not when one of her spirits needed her. The blonde would do anything to protect them, and this was no exception. They most likely needed her help to find him, and she wouldn't rest until she did. Otherwise she wouldn't be able to live with herself if they didn't find him.

Still slightly restless over the situation, and knowing the amount of work that had been done here so far (which really wasn't much in regards to the search, but rather the setup of the communication center), the blonde decided to pick up her keys, ready to summon one of her spirits. Lucy had to let them know how they were progressing here.

"Open! Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!" She called out, pouring her magic into the gold key.

A doorbell was heard, and there appeared Virgo, dressed in her usual maid outfit, chains around her wrist as usual. But the most noticeable thing was that Virgo did not have the usual blank and neutral expression that she always wore. No, this was one of worry, and the spirit had every right to be. A summoning could mean anything.

"Princess?" The spirit asked, a slight hint of worry in her tone.

There was no request of punishment this time. While it would be regarded as highly unusual for the maiden to not ask for something like that, the situation they were all in made sense as to why that wasn't the case. Even just her tone of voice was unnatural. Lucy was quick to answer her question anyway.

"We haven't found him Virgo…" She answered in a serious tone, head down. But Lucy perked up afterward. "We've set up communications with all the other guild members, and they're out searching now."

Virgo saw how the blonde was gripping the table as the words came out. So the spirit decided to also give the information on the other side as well. It wasn't much, but it was a bit of a reassurance that they were doing all that they could.

"The Spirit King has brought out many of us to search for him, Princess," she spoke. "Even the Silver Keys have gone out to look for Leo."

It hurt to say the lion spirit's name, that much Virgo knew as she saw Lucy tense up. Her master cared deeply for all of her spirits, but none so more than Leo. Had Lucy not cared at all, the mission would be called off. But there wasn't any other Celestial Spirit Mage like her who would do everything for the well-being of the spirits she commanded.

"Should the situation come to it, the Spirit King himself would personally go out and search as well. He is trying to pinpoint Leo's location with his magic, but at the moment, he is failing."

"Thank you, Virgo," Lucy whispered quietly, but it didn't go unheard.

Uncharacteristically, the maiden put a hand on her master's shoulder in sympathy. "Brother will be found, Princess," Virgo began. "Leo is...strong, he is our leader. And he is very resilient when it comes to punishment."

A chuckle escaped from Lucy, and her spirit heard something along the lines of, "And resilient to punishment from flirting." But the sad aura seemed to have surrounded the Celestial Spirit Mage once again, reminded of the lion spirit's antics. It hurt somewhat, that partially the reason he was gone was because she rejected his proposal to go out to dinner.

Was the reason he was messing was because he was avoiding her? No, Loke wouldn't do that. He wasn't the type of person to pull something like that. Even then, they would be able to track him. Something must've happened to Loke.

"Brother has survived worse punishment," Lucy heard Virgo continue, dragging her out of her thoughts. "He survived three years here, did he not?"

Virgo got a slight nod from her master. "Leo told me of his experience in those first three months. It was painful, he said, but he got used to the pain, and it was not as bad as he thought it would be. None of us are strong enough to stay here that long."

These words didn't seem to make Lucy stir much, so the maiden spirit tried something else. "Brother speaks highly of you, Princess," she mentioned.

That made Lucy perk up. "Loke...did?"

She saw her spirit nod. "He tries to get your attention. Often, brother wanted to make sure that his love for you was real. So he went on a date with Libra to see if it was true."

Lucy's eyes widened in realization. "So that's why he didn't show up back then…" she whispered. "And you showed up in his place."

Suddenly the pieces began to fit into place. There was even more guilt in her soul than earlier. Lucy remembered how she had gotten into an argument with Loke afterwards over how he didn't come. The reason he went on that date was because of _her_.

Nodding, Virgo continued. "He committed to the date, and did not want to walk out of it. But I heard him later on murmuring how he should've gone, once I told him what you summoned me for. Brother was guilty, and has tried to make it up to you since. He found out from his date that he truly loves you, but may have broken his chance."

Arguably, Lucy felt even worse than before. She should've done more when the lion spirit showed up those three months ago. Maybe the explanation as to why she had plans with Natsu should've been said. Or perhaps both her and Loke could've scheduled a time right then and there. It probably would've made his day much better.

"Princess, do you have feelings for brother?" Virgo spoke up.

Immediately, the blonde grew flustered. "What?! No! No! I don't have feelings for Loke! I just-!"

Nothing could really hide from the maiden spirit. Virgo was a master at seeing through someone and blurting out the obvious. She could clearly see what her master thought of the lion spirit. It was a low feeling, one that had been hidden away so much that it would be impossible to find unless mentioned or shown to her through the person she secretly admires and loves. But it was there nonetheless.

Yet there was another feeling that masked that particular one. Guilt. But where did said guilt come from? Virgo knew that Lucy loved all of her spirits and treated them fairly. So why was there guilt when it came to the Leader of the Zodiacs.

"I guess I do," Lucy answered. "But I feel like I've treated him horribly. I've constantly rejected him. I closed his gate when Loke just wanted to hang out. I got mad at him for going on a date when I needed him and didn't realize why he did that. And then...I brushed him off when he needed me."

"I feel horrible Virgo, about what I've been doing to him! He was saved by me, and told that his life purpose was me. And all I've done is treat Loke like he doesn't exist! What kind of friend does that?! I pushed him away, and now he's gone!"

A few tears escaped from her eyes, threatening yet another breakdown. The lion spirit, no, _her _loyal lion spirit, was out there somewhere most likely suffering from who knows what. Once again, the blonde felt a hand on her shoulder, giving her a slight reassuring feeling.

"Princess, have faith in us. You have friends, us, your spirits, and those who care about you. Brother is strong, and will hold out. We'll find him, Princess. We're doing everything we can."

Lucy gazed back up at Virgo, wiping away the tears with her hand. "Thank you," she answered.

The blonde smiled, and it was a genuine smile. One of hope and faith. They would find Loke. They _will _find him, no matter what it took. He would come back to Fairy Tail, to his master, his friend. And Lucy vowed to make amends with him as well.

Just as she thought that, there was a familiar glow emanating from her key pocket. Frantically Lucy reached for her Celestial keys, slight hope appearing on her face. Sure enough, there was one key that was glowing, and it was the lion's key. She took it off of her keyring, and held it in her right hand.

Virgo heard the blonde gasp. Anticipation seemed to have grasped a hold of both master and spirit. Anything could happen within this one moment, be it good or bad. They didn't know.

That is...until the maiden spirit felt something from within her heart break. Every Celestial Spirit felt it. Wherever they were in the world, they all stopped for one second. Their hearts pounding, as if the world had shattered. The spirits were frozen in place, including the king himself. No one knew what was happening. It was agonizing, torturing, yet quick and simple. Virgo had a feeling Lucy felt this feeling to some extent, and she could see it in her master's eyes…

...as a crack appeared on the key.

* * *

Loke heard her coming. It was obvious from the sound of high heels clip-clopping against the stone floor of the facility. Not to mention a whip lash echoed through the area, even though the door to his holding place was completely shut all the way. Karen was coming, and it wasn't a good sign either.

At the moment, the lion spirit was currently lying on the floor, pain riddling throughout his body. Joseph has given him the "final" dosage earlier, and while it may have been called that, the pain factor was still there, even if it was slight. After falling unconscious from the agony that a horribly good timing summoning had given him, he decided to just lay there and rest.

The last thing he wanted was Karen right now. Only just having a conversation with Logio and deciding that maybe there was hope in his future after all, Loke really didn't need her coming in and ruining it all. Sure, the scientist himself had come in earlier to give him the weekly dosage of pain, but the lion spirit couldn't afford to play with Karen's tactics right now. Especially since the pain hindered his thinking slightly, which had been caused by yet another indirect source, that being a summoning.

So Loke laid there on the stone cold floor, battered and beaten, but not broken. It was determination that had gotten him through this so far (that mostly being the dreams and the torture and the fights), and it would be determination that would get him out of here. While the lion spirit had slight injuries, and not to mention parts of his suit were torn and haggard, he was still himself, and decided to remain so.

He owed his friends and his master that sanity. By now, it had been three months since Loke had been kidnapped from the Spirit World, and not to mention the guild. Surely they were searching for him. Especially Lucy. How he missed all of his friends and family. But he missed her the most, and as much as the lion spirit wanted to go to his master, it was impossible, considering the implications placed upon him at the moment.

A slight click was heard, and the door to his cell opened. Loke didn't bother getting up or turning around to face Karen. He stared at the wall lying down, aching in pain. His tail rose up and down slightly. Yet he could almost feel the malice and hatred emanating from the woman behind him. Something was different today.

Karen approached Loke, a smirk of interest and cynical behavior forming on her face. "How are you doing today Leo?" She asked smugly.

Said spirit didn't bother answering. It would be the same anyway. She wouldn't really care about what he said. As long as the lion spirit showed any sign of suffering, Karen was satisfied with the outcome. Mostly likely, she was satisfied with what she saw now. But then again, why would she be here then?

"You can't give me the silent treatment forever you know," Karen continued. "I have a proposal for you, but I suppose you're not in the mood to answer me. Perhaps I could fix that." She tapped her whip against her hand.

This definitely got a reaction out of him. "What kind of proposal?" He asked.

Hearing that specific word made him feel very uneasy. The last time Karen came in with a proposal, it ended with him losing the use of his hands (and in turn, they are now paws) and a fight against multiple Acnologia clones. It seemed like the opposing side got more than he did, which happened to be that his contract was finally broken with Karen, after having it for who knows how long. It never broke to begin with, and at the time, he wanted it gone as soon as Loke heard that his power was cut in half because of it.

Now however, he was a little more suspicious. There was going to be a catch, that the lion spirit never doubted. But what said catch would be was currently unknown to him, and it could be anything. And it was probably something painful as well. Nothing that Karen made deals with ever came out of them without some sort of cruelty and harm.

Something was up with this. Karen didn't make deals that often. And what exactly would she have to offer Loke anyway? Nothing materialistic, since he was a spirit and didn't really need anything. And everyone was at the guild anyway. Not to mention that it wasn't like her to let him go so easily.

"Turn around and you'll see," she answered him. "I think you'll like what I'm offering. It's invaluable as it is."

Again, he didn't feel like turning sound. What would be so invaluable to him that would make him consider? Unless… His eyes widened at her statement, and he immediately attempted to reign in his shock. The lion spirit's thoughts were becoming slightly frantic, and he refused to turn around.

"No," Loke answered, though his voice was a little shaky. He tried his best to hide it.

"I'm sure you'll love it. And besides…" Karen came up to him and knelt down, brushing her hand along his suit coat. "Your clothes are a mess! I'm sure she could make you some…"

"...out of the material she can create."

His breath hitched. '_No…' _the lion spirit thought in horror.

That was the nail in the coffin, because he shot up from the ground and looked over his shoulder. The lion spirit's pupils were the size of pinpricks at the sight before him. They focused on a small golden object within Karen's left hand. It was unmistakable, and fear took over Loke quickly.

The Gate of the Ram key. More precisely, _Aries' _key.

"No...How...how did you get that?!" He spoke frantically.

Karen smirked, knowing that she had caught his attention finally. Bring up the lion spirit's friends, especially those he was close to, and everything would lead off from there. There was no doubt that Joseph has been right about this particular trait; loyalty. It was what drove the spirit, his life. Bring it into the equation, and he would begin to break.

"This _always _belonged to me. Do you think I would ever give something that is as valuable as a golden zodiac key?" She snickered at the last part, stroking to the golden key like it was her most precious thing in the world.

It was impossible. It was most certainly impossible. How in the world had Karen obtained Aries' key?! It just wasn't possible at all. That would've meant something happened to…

Lucy! Was that the reason she had been trying to summon him earlier? Had she also been attacked by Karen? That couldn't possibly be the case. They were outside of Fiore, outside of Ishgar and in who knows where. Unless Karen decided it was best to get a hold of Lucy and kidnap her. But why? It would just be giving herself away.

Nothing made sense. His heartbeat increased slightly as the seconds rolled by. Loke tried to convince himself that the key in front of him was fake. It could very well be. Yet the key looked too real, too authentic. Golden Zodiac keys could not be replicated very easily, if at all. The intricate designs and cravings...there could be no exact replica.

But the worst part is that he would've known if the key was real or not right away, if the lion spirit didn't have this necklace on. His connection to the Spirit World was cut off, so he couldn't feel any sort of Celestial Magic emanating from the key. And wouldn't Aries have come out already anyway? Unless she had been captured just like he had. And that made a shiver go up his spine.

Standing up, Loke growled at her. "Give that to me right now!" he snarled. "Or else I'll…"

"Or else you'll what?" Karen inquired. "Growl at me? Lash out at me? Bare your teeth like the animal you are?!"

It hurt. There was nothing Loke could do in this situation. He was powerless, magic restricted, and not to mention he was chained up like an animal. Loke couldn't help but compare himself to one, and the realization came over him as soon as he thought about it. The lion spirit lowered his head in shame and said nothing else.

"I will give you this Leo," she began. "For a small price…"

So this was the deal that Karen came in for. He would have to exchange something, probably something valuable in his eyes, in order to get Aries' key. If Loke didn't, then who knows what could happen? Would she once again abuse Aries? Would she continue to do this until every last Zodiac spirit was in her grasp just to make him suffer? The possibilities were endless.

Yet somewhere in his heart, Loke couldn't let the former Celestial Spirit mage have her way again. Karen was controlling, that was for sure. Aries had just begun to regain the courage she used to have. For that to disappear again...he would do anything to protect his sister.

"What...do you want from me?!" the lion spirit snarled.

That cynical smirk once again appeared on her face, and Loke felt a bit of fear rise from within his soul. Whatever Karen wanted was going to be bad. He would take any sort of physical pain and suffering however, if it meant that Aries could be safe from her wrath. And then, the green haired woman spoke, with some sort of cynical joy in her tone of voice.

"I want you to break your contract with Lucy Heartifilia."

Horror and terror bit at his very being of existence. He swore he was shaking. '_No, no no!' _Loke thought. '_She's making me choose! I can't! I can't do it!' _

One small glance at her told him that she wasn't lying in any way, shape, or form. Karen was serious. She wanted Loke to break his contract with Lucy, in exchange for Aries' key. A choice had to be made, and he didn't want to make a choice. It was torture, and the worse kind of torture there was. Loke could handle the physical abuse, no matter how much it hurt. But this…

"I'll never do it!" he answered. "I'll never give you that satisfaction! Not as long as I live! I don't even have the power to break my contract just by myself!"

It was a lie, and Loke knew it. He could break his own contract by himself. After all, he was the most powerful of the Zodiac spirits, their leader, below the Spirit King himself (lately however he kept doubting himself about his power). Loke had the strongest willpower out of all the spirits, and with this willpower, he was able to break his own contract should the circumstance to do so came along.

There were ways to break a contract between a spirit and their owner. First, the person could die, and the spirit would be free upon their death. Second, an agreement between owner and spirit would be made to break the contract, and the spirit would be free. Those were the two normally used options. Silver keys usually followed these rules.

Gold keys however, were a different story. Because of their status and their power, there are two other ways to break a contract between a Zodiac spirit and their master. First would be to summon the Celestial Spirit King, a feat that would take a great amount of magic. Not only that, but both owner and spirit must have a strong bond with each other in order for it to occur. As a result, the contract would be broken, and the gold key would break, preventing the Zodiac spirit from leaving the Spirit World until a new key was forged by the King. And of course, said King would be summoned.

No one had summoned the Spirit King in centuries. Loke couldn't even remember the last time the King was ever summoned. No Celestial Spirit mage was ever that powerful enough to do so, or perhaps they were, but didn't want to risk losing their Zodiac spirit. Or the event that would be dire enough to require the summoning never occurred, or no one ever told their master that summoning the King was possible. Either way, it hadn't happened in so long.

The other way to break a contract with a Zodiac spirit would be for the spirit to break it themselves. This of course only really applied to him (and Loke suspected Aquarius could maybe do this, and frankly he was surprised she never did, considering how tolerant of her masters she could be. But again, the mermaid probably couldn't). With enough willpower and magic energy, a spirit could personally sever the bond between spirit and master.

He never performed something like this of course, never really had to anyway. The effect would be the same as if summoning the Spirit King, that being trapped in the Spirit World until their key was forged by the King and sent back into Earthland to be found. Waiting could sometimes be agonizing, but again, that time difference also existed.

Even so, Loke couldn't really recall any master he had where he considered that option. A majority of his previous masters couldn't summon him in truth. They found his key and didn't have the magic power to summon him. Not many realized just how taxing summoning the lion spirit could be, so he would often just come by his own power instead, in order to not drain more than half of his master's magic. He figured that's how he was able to survive for three years. No spirit had that kind of magic reserve.

Only a few masters within the last century had been able to summon him. Karen and Lucy included, as the latter had been part of a lineage of Celestial Spirit mages, so it was natural she would be able to summon him and not be immediately tired or exhausted afterward. That was one thing his beautiful master had over Karen; he could be summoned without tiring her out as much, depending on the circumstance of course.

Now however, the lion spirit just couldn't go ahead and break his contract with Lucy so easily. He loved her wholeheartedly, cared about her, and would do anything for her. For him to make a choice like this was very difficult, and Loke didn't want to make that choice.

"Of course you can do it," Karen brought him out of his thoughts. She twisted the key in her hand. "Aren't you the strongest of the Zodiac spirits? The leader?"

"Shut up…" Loke whispered, knowing that she saw through his lie.

"You could've broken it when you were with me," she continued. "But you chose not to, because Aries couldn't break it. So you stayed with her, out of pity and remorse."

"Shut up," his voice was louder this time.

It had been his reason to not do that. If Loke broke his contract with Karen all those years ago, Aries would still be stuck with her. He would be leaving her behind. Not to mention hardly anyone knew that Loke could do that to begin with. Really only the Spirit King knew, and possibly Virgo. Still, he felt guilty, and decided against it.

"I'm right, aren't I?" Karen stated. "I've studied everything about you, thanks to Joseph. And you've said it yourself. 'There are some things that I can do that they can't,' yes?"

"SHUT UP!" Loke roared, his eyes brimming with tears.

Hatred was practically radiating off of him, anger brimming to the surface. Karen had managed to play her cards right. She could tell that the lion spirit was on the verge of crashing down. But Karen had enough of his screaming, so she unfurled her whip and hit him in the right shoulder.

"Ahh!" he cried out, falling to the ground.

Karen chuckled. "Now, I want you to choose. Break your contract, and I will give you Aries' key. If you don't, then I will use her to my advantage. Of course you know what that means…"

Loke was trembling. His former master had gone too far. And he couldn't do anything. The lion spirit was chained up, magic limited to barely anything. What should he do? He didn't want to make a choice. It was all too much.

If he broke his contract, it meant that he could possibly never see Lucy again. She might lose his trust in him, or worse not even want him around at all. But Aries wouldn't be abused. If he didn't break his contract, the ram spirit would be put through the same amount of torture and pain he went through. And she most certainly wouldn't last.

But...breaking his contract...meant breaking his promise to Lucy. Loke promised her to always be by her side! That he would come to her whenever she called and needed him. He loved her for Spirit King's sake! Yet Aries wouldn't get hurt.

What would happen if he said no? Would Lucy be angry with him for letting Aries go through that pain? For letting her suffer? What of the other spirits? What would they all say? That he _hurt _Aries?

'_I just don't want anyone to be hurt,' _his mind whimpered. '_If I break it, no one would be hurt, right?'_

Of course, that wasn't really true. Lucy would be heartbroken. The Spirit King would banish him again. But it would be on him. Aries would still be alright. She wouldn't have to deal with Karen's abuse again. Lowering his head, Loke gritted his teeth. There was no other way. There was no choice.

"I'll…" his voice was breaking. "I'll...I'll do it…" he stuttered. Every word felt laced with betrayal against everything he knew.

A smirk appeared on Karen's face. '_Predictable,' _she thought. '_Always the one to be the hero.'_

The lion spirit struggled to get up, the best he could do was get into a kneeling position. Once Loke was there, a bright yellow aura of magic surrounded his body. This technique hurt. It really did. Both physically and mentally. Tears began to flow from his eyes from the pain. He didn't want to do this, and yet it was the only choice he could make. For everyone's sake.

He began to whisper something. Sort of like a prayer. Karen could hardly understand it since he was speaking so softly. The bright yellow aura started to whirl around the lion spirit, creating a tornado of wind in the dark cell.

"Oh Regulus…" Loke began, through choking breaths. "Grant me your strength...Grant me the power...of the heavens to destroy the bond. The one and true bond...that binds my soul…" he lifted his head to the heavens.

"...TO THIS WORLD!"

The magic within him swelled up, and came out like a roaring hurricane. It encompassed his body, lighting up the entire cell. It was all the power that he could muster under those golden chains. And all at once, he broke down, crying. Loke finally broke through. His spirit, no, he himself was broken.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered. "I'm so sorry…"

And then, the sound of something breaking was heard. Karen had heard it quite clearly. It sounded like a chain being broken. No, she knew what it was. Joseph had specifically mentioned what exactly that meant, and she had heard the exact same sound when she broke her contract with Leo. The Lock surrounding his heart had opened.

In an instant, there was immense pounding from his heart. Loke froze, right paw clenching the upper left area of his chest. He could clearly hear the thumping of his own heartbeat. All of a sudden, he felt as if he was on fire. Pain erupted throughout every part of his body. And Loke roared.

"**RRRRAAAAHHHHH!"**

Everything happened quickly. His clothes were tearing up, as the lion spirit's limbs became more muscular. Legs and arms began to grow soft, golden fur. No longer could he stand up on two legs. For his body was changing to a point where he didn't need to do so.

Loke's hair began to grow out, the orange strands forming into a golden mane. Said mane reached down to his back. The ear-like tufts on his head formed into triangular-shaped ears, replacing the disappearing human ones on the side of his head.

The lion spirit's face began to change as well. A muzzle formed, with a tiny black nose and powerful teeth and jaws. Long, thin whiskers grew on the sides of his face. His eyes however, retained the same hazel hue as they were before.

Finally, his body structure had completely changed. No longer could he walk on two legs, but now instead it was four. His tail was more connected to his body. Legs now connected to powerful paws with claws. His chest now becoming his underbelly with light colored fur.

It was done. Finally, all the time and effort she had placed in during these past ten years had pulled off. Joseph's research was proven successful. Standing in front of the former Celestial Spirit mage wasn't the spirit she knew and recognized. No, this was completely different.

Leo the Lion's true form.

And as soon as the painful transformation into a full beast had finished, Loke swayed and fell to the ground on his side. Unconscious. Not surprising, considering the mental and physical pain he just went through.

Regardless, Karen smirked in victory. She had gotten what she wanted and more. The Leader of the Zodiac was broken and now a beast. Her tactics had won out in the end, and she couldn't be happier with the revenge he had gotten.

Soon afterward, Joseph walked into the cell, having a feeling that what had happened. "The results, Lady Karen?" he asked.

Said woman gestured her head to the unconscious lion spirit on the floor. His eyes seemed to be filled with success and delight. The result he expected to happen did happen. His serum had finally worked perfectly. Joseph turned to the green haired woman, awaiting orders.

"You need to perform surgery, don't you?" she questioned.

The scientist nodded. "It's best if I completely remove the Locks now. Since Leo is knocked out at the moment, this would be a good opportunity. But before anything is done, there will be some consequences because of this."

"Like what?"

"Based on my theory, once those two organs are removed, Leo will never be able to form a contract with any Celestial mage. Ever. The Locks are composed of magic. When a contract is made with a spirit, the Lock forms completely, binding the heart. Without a contract, the heart is no longer bound, but instead it's off to the side."

"Removing them means that a contract can no longer be formed between a spirit and their new master, as the Lock isn't there to bind their heart. I am not sure if he will ever be able to return to the Celestial Spirit World as well. The Lock may also be connected to his gate, so it may no longer be possible for him to return there. Lastly, there is the issue of-"

"Do whatever you need to do," Karen answered.

Nodding, he called in some of his assistants. Carefully, they picked up the sleeping beast and carried him out of the room. Joseph bowed to Karen, and left to start the surgery. Taking the lion spirit down the hall, they passed by a few other scientists and workers, as well as a figure who was hiding in a back hall. No one saw him, but he saw and heard them.

Logio had a feeling that something was going to happen. He had felt the scientist come towards Loke's cell, so he decided to leave before he was found. But the Dragon Slayer quietly stuck around, watching and listening from afar. And for the first time, he felt fear. It wasn't because Logio became afraid of Karen or Joseph. He was afraid for Loke.

This fear had been confirmed when the maroon haired man saw what passed by. Joseph had passed by with a few of his assistants, with a golden colored mass being carried by said assistants. At first, Logio had no idea who or what exactly it was. But after glancing over a few features, he realized it was the lion spirit himself.

'_So this is what they are capable of doing,' _he thought. '_It is...horrific. Loke, forgive me for not doing anything earlier.' _

Far, far away from where the lion spirit was held, across the continent, in the land of Ishgar, in the kingdom of Fiore, in the town of Magnolia, in a certain guildhall where people were running rampant trying to find someone, a golden key shattered into a million pieces.

On that day, the lion fell from the heavens once more, suffering a much greater tragedy than the last one. His sole reason for moving forward was gone, reduced to a million pieces like his key. Loke had lost.

And on that day…

A girl cried.

And a lion roared.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**That's the end of Chapter 10!  
**

**There really isn't any explanation as to why Loke went on a date in Edolas (I thought that was stupid to begin with. You promised to be there for her, idiot!) So my explanation was that he was on a date to find out if he really was in love with Lucy or not. Why else would Loke do that to begin with since he decided to dedicate his life to Lucy as her spirit? The original situation made no sense.**

**Yes, yes, I know half of this chapter was a detailed rehash of the prologue, and some of you have probably seen it coming. But Loke's an actual lion now! And Surprise! (I guess lol) This was originally why I wanted to make this story, as surprisingly there aren't a lot of stories where he's an actual lion. And if you probably can't tell...yes it's going to be Lolu. It's not going to be all mushy mushy (you've seen the story so far, you should know) but it's coming...eventually. We're nearing the Grand Magic Games folks! I'm excited!**

**Lastly, tell me what you guys think! I love reviews! They keep me going and let me know you guys enjoy the story!**

**Until next time, See Ya Universe!**

**Palkia**


	12. Claws of Beasts

**Author's Note**

**Hello Universe! Palkia has returned with Chapter 11! Apologies for it being so late, but now everything's coming along! So thank you to those who favorited, followed, and reviewed! It means a lot!**

**Now, let's get to it!**

**I do not own Fairy Tail. **

**Chapter 11**

**Claws of Beasts**

_They say that before everything comes something. Before something comes nothing. And before nothing comes everything._

_They, the humans, believe that there was always something. Land perhaps. Water even. Yet everything came from somewhere. And somewhere came from nowhere. Thus, land and water came from somewhere. _

_The Celestial Spirits too came from something. They do not just exist. Everything came from something. Something came from nothing. Thus, Celestial Spirits came from something. Humans may have not known this. _

_But we do. We, the Celestial Spirits, and guardians of our King._

_Our story is not known. Though it has in the past. Yet time has reached a diverging point, one that we did not foresee and never will foresee ever again. It will not change, and none shall do anything to affect it._

_Thus, we shall tell you our story. _

_One thousand years ago human time, there was a kingdom of humans on the continent of Alakitasia. Kingdoms such as these were formed by humans. As such, the something, in this case, is humans._

_This kingdom was known as the kingdom of Silva. It was the very first of its kind to rise, and quickly became a very powerful nation. No one could match its strength and might, for the royal family had excellent strategy and skill when it came to war. The humans could wield an entity known as magic, as well as the royal family, and no one could stand up to it. So there was no opposition._

_The royal family themselves had descended from the humans who first created the kingdom, deciding upon the name Silva as the area was heavily forested. They were known as the Aurum family. Gold, this translates to. The humans loved them, for they ruled with kindness and a love for their kingdom._

_Within this family, there was a human boy._

_He was a young boy, an only child, born during the hottest time of summer. He was to be the next King of Silva. His parents taught him well, educating him to the furthest extent imaginable, making him incredibly intelligent. He was kind and caring, loving, and gentle. But there was only one issue._

_The boy had no friends._

_He was able to roam around freely to some extent. But no one wanted to be friends with him. He did not know why in any way, shape, or form. He did not see himself as a bad person. Yet why did no one want to be with him? Was it because he was of royal descent? No, the people of the kingdom loved the royal family. _

_At the time, the boy was too young to understand the concept of hate. There were people who just didn't like him. And it made the boy sad and lonely. The days which he spent alone in the castle without his mother and father were growing quickly. They had their duties, and their son was not old enough to handle them. _

_So the boy took matters into his own hands and did whatever he could to keep himself busy. He drew pictures. Read books. Anything to help him escape the loneliness that was constantly around his very being. For the most part, it worked. Drawings may not have helped him that much, but books helped him more than he could imagine._

_They were like windows into another world, one of imagination and wonder. Some brought the boy to different places. Others taught him about his own world. And he was content with what he was learning and reading about. Yet he could not share what he learned with others, for they did not want to be with him. _

_One day, the boy came across a book within the castle's library that interested him greatly. It was a book of the stars. The book told him tales of the stars in the sky, how they formed specific beings that all told a story. And, how they were the rulers of certain times of the year. _

_It told of us. Yet not of us at the same time. _

_His interest in this "Astrology," grew immensely. Immediately the boy asked his parents for any book that mentioned the stars. They said they would get some for him, but only for his birthday, as it was coming up. However, the king and queen would not be around for their son's birthday once again._

_This upset the boy. Once again, he would be alone for his favorite part of the year. He remembered when he used to spend this day with his parents with great joy and happiness. They would get him presents, play with him, and sing to him. How the boy wished to have those times back again. He decided what he wanted for his birthday that year._

_On the night before his birthday, in the highest room in the castle, his room, the boy opened the window. A pattern in the stars lay before his eyes, twinkling at him. His book had told him that it was the King of the Star Signs, ruler of the heavens, our King. So he wished on the heart of the King, asking for one thing and one thing only._

"_Please, your highness," he asked. "All I ask is for a friend. A good friend. One that will play with me and spend time with me. They'll listen to me when I tell them stories, and cheer me up when I'm down. That is all I ask, oh King."_

_The boy went to bed that night, dreams of faraway lands just like in his books keeping him company. Unbeknownst to him, the heart of the King shined bright and connected the rest of the stars in the King's body. _

_And at midnight, a beast from the heavens appeared in the boy's room._

* * *

Everything hurt. The last time Loke felt this way was when he was dying seven years ago. That was when it began to feel agonizing. For a while, his pain had been dull, spiking on a few occasions and becoming very painful. Then it became worse and worse, to the point where everything hurt. But that was seven years ago. He was dying then. Now...He wasn't so sure.

'_What...happened?' _the lion spirit thought.

In truth, he honestly couldn't remember. Everything in his head at the moment was just a blur. The last time Loke really felt like that was when Cana challenged him to a drinking contest (surprisingly it had ended in a tie). Still, a memory blank hadn't occurred in a very long time. Not since…

Since when exactly?

The coldness of the floor seemed to have shaken him out of his thoughts. Or at least, that he thought the floor was cold. It was certainly cooler than the air around him. Loke was warm, that was for sure. Maybe it was his suit jacket. No, the suit jacket had been torn up and…

Loke froze. He was remembering.

One of the first things that came to his mind was that he was not at home. This was not his bed, but rather a stone floor. Walls that were bright and golden were dark and dreary. There was no sky, only darkness.

He didn't like it for some reason. Loke felt confined, trapped even. In his home, which was spacious and very roomy, he did not feel this sort of feeling. If the lion spirit had to be honest at this very moment, there was no doubt in his mind that he missed home (despite the amount of time he spent in it).

Another thing that Loke noticed was for the moment he was alone. This was a common occurrence. He often spent his time alone in most cases, primarily because of his duties. But now...Loke felt lonely.

Desiring company had become one of his main focuses at the moment. Where was everyone? Where were his family? His fellow Celestial Spirits? The ones who he was the leader of? The Celestial Spirit King? What of him? Where were…Loke's eyes widened.

Fairy Tail. Where was Fairy Tail? What about his fellow guildmates? Where were they? Were they in the guildhall, drinking, and laughing? Were Natsu and Gray fighting again? Had Erza stopped them? Where was…

'_Lucy,' _Loke thought. '_Where's Lucy?! I can't feel-'_

His eyes widened, and he was fully awake at that moment. Loke couldn't feel her connection. His connection to Lucy was nonexistent. He was scared, frantic even. Did something happen to his master?

'_W-why can't I feel her?!' _his panicked thoughts ran through his mind. '_Is she okay?! Lucy, what happened to you?! I…'_

Loke's mind caught up to him. He still lay there, on the stone-cold floor, when all of his thoughts stopped. The lion spirit remembered why his connection to Lucy was like this. And to say that he wasn't horrified was an understatement.

He had done this. It was his fault. Loke had destroyed his contract with Lucy.

'_No, no NO! Why did I do that?!' _

As if to answer, the solution to his problem arose quickly in his mind. Aries. He had done this for Aries. But why for Aries? The ram spirit could handle herself quite well. What kind of decision did Loke have to make that made him choose to do this? What was the worst possible scenario?

Twitching his feet, he heard the clatter of chains. '_Golden chains' _Loke recounted. '_Chains that have restricted my magic. Who put them on me? Who would put me in chains? They would know who I am right?' _

It wasn't that public, but Loke had a feeling that there was some word around that the lion spirit had been hiding in a magic guild for a few years. Of course, that news was around seven years old by this point. But surely the person who was his captor would've recognized him slightly.

For a while, he had been known as Loke the Fairy Tail mage. Even if he had slightly longer hair and different clothes, someone would recognize him. Humans didn't really see Celestial Spirits that often, so recognition as Leo the Lion probably wouldn't come up. But Loke had a good reputation as a mage of Fairy Tail. In the eyes of many people, he may not be as strong as some members (although he did use to be on par with Natsu). Yet he was recognizable for his strength.

So who would do this?

Thinking back, he really didn't have many enemies. Not spending a lot of time in Earthland helped with not making a bunch of relationships. Of course, there were those girlfriends he used to have, but those didn't last long.

Who would have a grudge against him? One that would've lasted long enough up until this point? It had to be for Loke to have been in Earthland for a while. Someone came to mind, but he brushed it aside.

No, Karen was dead. She had been dead for ten years by this point. Karen would have been the only person who could have held a grudge against him. After all, he refused to obey her in the beginning. But that was a long time ago. She's…

'_Alive,' _he realized.

Everything came rushing back to him. That night in the guild. His capture. Karen. Torture. Pain. Nightmares. Visions. Rage. Pain. Horror.

His head hurt, and his body was in agony. Silent tears came from Loke's eyes. What had he done? He knew what he did. Karen forced the lion spirit to make a choice. And he chose to break his contract with Lucy. That was why he couldn't feel her. Loke chose to save Aries from the torture.

A promise was broken. He swore that he would protect Lucy with his life. Now, that was thrown away. There was no doubt in Loke's mind that his now-former master would hate him for what he did. He was a horrible person. He betrayed her trust yet again.

What would they say to him? Would the King banish him again? Would the other Zodiacs disown their bond? Would the guild expel him and refuse to let Loke back in? And his friends…

'_Aries understands,' _he tried to reassure himself. '_We both went through her torture. She…'_

There was a glimmer of light in Loke's line of sight. He turned his head and noticed a golden object off to the side. It was small, almost unnoticeable. Yet Loke recognized it all the same. The pattern, the shape, everything. He was horrified.

It was Aries' key, and it was broken in half.

'_What the…' _Loke thought. '_Oh, no...please don't tell me. It can't be true!'_

Suddenly the lion spirit tried to stand up, determined to see the object in front of his eyes. However, he fell over as soon as he got on his two feet. At first, Loke tried to convince himself that it was just because of the pain. So he tried again, and he still fell to the ground. Trying for a third time, he only found failure.

'_Why? Why can't I get up?!'_

Yet his determination kept him going. He wanted to see if this was true. He _needed _to see if this was true. So this time, Loke decided to get on his hands and knees. However, he was surprised to find that his feet were touching the ground.

Pushing the thought of it aside, he walked slowly over to the key. Loke was limping, the pain shooting up his legs as he moved. Everything still was hurting immensely. But Loke needed to see, so he continued onward. Working through the pain was something that the lion spirit was used to.

There was also another thing he noticed. His hair felt longer as well. And not to mention thicker as well. This was unusual. Loke didn't think that his hair grew out that much. But he did notice that some of it were in his eyes. Shouldn't he be seeing through lenses instead? Where were his glasses anyway?

At last, Loke was able to reach the key. Only, his horrors were confirmed, and even more so. This was the very same key that Karen had shown in front of him some time ago. One that she used to blackmail the lion spirit to break his contract. But there was a major difference.

The key on the floor in front of his hazel eyes...was fake.

'_It's...it wasn't real…' _he realized.

Celestial keys, depending on the type, could not be replicated. Silver keys could be replicated, as they were so common and there were many lesser spirits. Anyone could make a Silver Key, as multiple versions could exist. As long as the summoning was done correctly, a spirit could be tied to it.

Golden keys, however, were more complicated. They were tied to the Zodiac spirits, who did not have many individuals. There were only thirteen, and they were unique. No second key of a Zodiac spirit could exist.

Another important factor was that each golden key had the Celestial Spirit King's influence on it. There could be no perfect replica of a golden key. Even if someone were to make a "perfect copy," a scratch or some sort of imperfection would appear on the copy. This was to show the difference between the original and the fake.

He noticed the difference immediately. Besides the obvious fact that it was broken in half, there was a chip at the top of the key. Karen would've been able to hide this discrepancy easily by the way she held it. And because he was chained and the necklace he was wearing, the lion spirit was unable to tell if there was magic coming from it.

There was no magic coming from it. No connection to the ram's gate in the Celestial Spirit World. It didn't possess the ability to call upon Aries. And, worst of all, what it did possess was the ability to actually fool the lion spirit.

'_I broke my contract...for nothing…' _

A certain aroma enters his nose, and Loke turns around. There is a bowl of water and food left out for him, more specifically meat. His stomach growls, and he finds himself to be hungry. Loke had long accepted the idea of eating raw meat, so he began to walk over to the bowl of food.

For some reason, the lion spirit decided to bury his face into it instead of using his hands. He had no trouble tearing apart the meat, almost as if his teeth were sharp and meant for this. Once he was done with that, Loke went for the water.

His reflection was visible to him.

Loke jumped in horror. '_What the heck?! This is...that's not…!'_

The face that met him was not his own. It was the face of a beast. He looked into the water again, seeing the face that was reflected in him. The face had golden fur, whiskers, a muzzle, a mane, jaws with sharp teeth, pointy ears, and a big black nose. And the eyes...they were hazel, just like Loke's own eyes.

'_No...no no no!'_

He pushed himself away from the bowl and to the wall, trying to get as far away from it as he could. Loke felt his back against the wall and the chilling sensation that came afterward. Nervously, he looked at himself. Only to be filled with horror.

His body was practically covered in golden fur. The structure of his legs and arms were completely different, connecting to paws at the ends of them. Shifting to look over his back, Loke noticed how his mane went down his back. Finally, his tail was connected to his back in a more natural way.

Loke was a lion.

'_I'm a monster...a terrifying animal…'_

To say that he was going into shock was an understatement. Loke was trembling, on the verge of a breakdown. There was too much going on. Karen. His broken contract. His current...appearance. Everything was too hard to deal with at the moment. He couldn't take it anymore.

So, after three months caged within the walls of this prison, he broke. Lowering himself to the ground, the now-lion allowed himself to cry fully. He did his best to remain strong, to hold out until someone came and saved him. That was what he hoped for so many long and torturous days.

Hope...what even was hope anymore? Loke had committed the most grievous sin in the book. And now he had transformed into this. Who would want a monster like him? Who would want someone who broke an eternal promise, one that he kept re-enforcing that it would never break?

'_No one…' _Loke thinks. '_No one wants me...no one cares about me…'_

If someone had cared about him, then surely they would've come for him by now, right? Wouldn't his own brethren be looking for him? Unless the Spirit King told them no. What about the guild? They would be searching for him, wouldn't they?

'_Not now,' _he tells himself. '_Who would want a selfish beast who breaks all the promises he gives?'_

The lion felt unloved, unappreciated, treated as if he never existed. He was lonely and broken, and couldn't be fixed. No one wanted him, he believed. No one in this world would be there for Loke. No one wanted a monster like him. A horrible, terrifying monster that could hurt anyone.

It was what he saw in his dreams. Now, Loke was that evil beast that had attacked Aquarius. He was that demon who attacked his now-former master. He was afraid, of not only himself, but of the potential people, he could hurt in the future.

His thoughts immediately turn to Lucy, his now-former master. Of the time he didn't come when she called. When she got annoyed because of his constant flirting. His weak strength and not being able to protect her against Angel. He couldn't protect her, nor could he be there for her. Loke didn't deserve Lucy.

Tears came streaming down his muzzle. He was worthless and useless, yet dangerous at the same time. He was confused and scared, not knowing what to do. What even was he anymore? Everything had been taken away from Loke. He was a monster, yet also nothing at the same time.

A few voices were heard behind the door to his cell. It opened, revealing a couple of men in white coats. Scientists, Loke realized. Out of instinct, the lion reeled back against the wall, suddenly frightened. There were needles in their hands. He knew what that meant.

Loke snarled at them. "**Stay away from me!" **

Only, his words came out as something inaudible. His eyes widened, realizing that he could no longer speak. He could project growls and groans, but not words. Loke was horrified.

Instead, the lion bared his teeth at the men in front of him. They, however, didn't seem to be afraid of him. A low growl escaped his throat, eyes sharpening slightly. He unsheathed his claws as well. But this tactic appeared to not work.

There was a prick in his shoulder, and he failed to realize that one of them had a dart shooter. His body sagged, falling to the ground. But surprisingly, Loke didn't lose consciousness. He remained awake, yet his body was like a ragdoll sprawled on the floor.

"Good, it's down," one of them said.

"I thought it was going to be more dangerous," another one spoke.

"The drug may not be strong enough near his head, so put this on it," the third person threw something made of leather to the second.

"Wha-why me?!" he asked.

"Because you're the closest to it," the first one answered.

"Fine…"

Loke could only watch as the man knelt down in front of him. He felt the very human hands touch his face, a feeling that made him shiver. Something was placed over his mouth. A leather muzzle, so that he wouldn't bite any of them.

They were treating him like an animal. The way they called him "it" instead of "him." Applying a muzzle to his face. Even staying slightly away from Loke although he was already tranquilized. It hurt the lion even more. He was an animal now, nowhere close to being a Celestial Spirit anymore.

Bringing up the fact that Loke was this didn't feel correct. He was cut off from the Spirit World, unable to return. Loke could live in Earthland without having to worry about his life force being drained. However, he was still chained up and locked away, unable to do anything about it.

That wasn't what a Celestial Spirit was. They were immortal beings of high honor and regard. Powerful entities with great magical strength. He had no honor anymore. No dignity. No sense of purpose. There was nothing for him to live for, as Loke had destroyed those connections only an hour ago.

He was no longer a Celestial Spirit. Nor was he pretending to be a human or acting like a human. Loke was an animal, a beast, a monster.

"Alright, let's get moving," the first one stated.

After this statement, two of the three scientists positioned themselves around Loke's body, unlocking the golden chains around his paws. Carefully and gently, but with great strength, they lifted him slightly. The third one came back with a stretcher and placed it underneath the lion. Lowering Loke's onto the stretcher, the three men were able to lift him and carry him out of the room.

'_Where are they taking me?' _He thought nervously, but couldn't show it.

His eyes trailed to the stone walls of the hallway, which seemed to be long and unending. A few people passed by, not sparing him one glance. Loke closed his eyes, focusing on the voices around him.

"...getting rid of it today," someone said.

"Lady Karen is doing what?!" Another asked.

"Won't that expose us?" one person mentioned.

"...plan that will...the best of us."

"Good riddance to that thing."

Loke felt the people carrying him stop abruptly, so he opened his eyes. They had stopped for something, or rather someone. He could smell a couple of people approach them, and Loke had known too well as to who they were. His eyes were wide with fear.

"Lady Karen," the three men bowed.

She came up to them alongside Joseph, an approving look on her face. The man next to her was calculating and cunning as usual, as if he were ready to see specific results.

"It woke up shortly earlier," the first person mentioned. "So we tranquilized it and brought it to you."

Karen looked over them, seeing the poor victim on the stretcher. But she had been the one to put Loke in this position. The green-haired woman walked to the side of the stretcher, heels clicking. Loke was horrified. She could do anything to him while he was stuck like this.

Her hand touched his elegant mane, and she began to stroke him. Loke would've flinched if he could. "Your research was a success, Joseph," she commented. "This is the kind of revenge I have wanted for a very long time…"

"I am glad that it is to your satisfaction, Lady Karen," Joseph answered. "The second surgery was also a success. We were able to remove both Locks completely."

The lion's eyes widened, which didn't go unnoticed by the two individuals. '_Second...surgery…?'_

"Oh good, it looks like he can understand us still," Karen noted. "You are not a mindless beast...yet."

She removed her hand from his mane and lifted his chin up to her face. Loke was terrified and would be quivering if it weren't for the fact that he was tranquilized at the moment. This was bad, very bad.

"Leo the Lion...your previous appearance was ironic. The King of Beasts bearing a human physique. Now, you are nothing more than a beast as you were always meant to be. A monster who could take anyone's life."

"Years ago, you disobeyed me, ridiculed me for my treatment, and refused to come to my side. Your death was your punishment, but with the help of Lucy Heartifilia, that punishment was never fulfilled."

"This is your punishment, and it is permanent. You will never be able to return to the Celestial Spirit World, as your second surgery took that away from you. Your contract is broken, and your ability to make a new one is gone as well. Lastly, your appearance is now akin to your namesake, and your strength will hurt those around you."

He nearly stopped breathing. Everything that Loke ever had was gone. His ties to the Celestial Spirit World, his ability to make a contract, his humanity...all of it was destroyed. There was nothing left for him anymore.

Karen had gotten rid of it all. She broke him, destroyed him, both physically and mentally. All of his connections, his friends and family, were nonexistent. Loke had nothing, and even if he were to gain something, she would make sure it was lost. This was her revenge.

"Right now is the last time you and I will see each other, Leo," she told the lion.

'_Last...time?' _Loke wonders.

"An associate of mine has decided to buy you after I mentioned it to him. In truth, I only wanted to keep you here for three months, the same amount of time you disobeyed me. But I wasn't quite sure what to do, as simply letting you go may cause problems. So when I talked to him, he offered me a lot of money."

"He will be your new master, and he is very good when it comes to treating his pets well," Karen spoke the last part cynically, much to Loke's horror. "And your existence will be kept secret."

Karen let go of him. "Joseph, I want you to go with Leo to meet my associate. You know him well. This is so no one recognizes me."

"Understood, Lady Karen."

"Then...Farewell, Leo the Lion."

And Karen Lilica was gone from his sight.

"We must get moving," Joseph mentioned to the three scientists carrying Loke. "We'll be able to catch the 9 o'clock train if we work fast. There's a crate for Leo ready and waiting down the hall. Now go!"

The three went quickly, rushing down the hallway. Their attention caught the eyes of a certain maroon-haired Dragon Slayer and a certain purple-haired Dragon Slayer. Both had been watching the confrontation. The first was filled with concern, and the other couldn't care about the sorry state of the lion.

"Heh, serves the guy right," One spoke. "Jerk couldn't control himself in our fight."

"You wouldn't happen to know where he is being transported, would you?" Logio asked.

One put his hands in the air. "Don't know. Something that witch mentioned about a slave trader at some auction. I could care less."

Without a second thought, Logio was moving on his feet, planning on following the scientists. One was yelling behind him, but not following. The purple-haired Dragon Slayer just scoffed and turned away.

A bad feeling began to plague his mind. He had limited knowledge of the situation, considering Joseph barely gave him and his so-called "brothers" an education. However, Karen letting Loke go was something unusual. Hadn't she wanted to have her revenge against him? Then why was she somewhat releasing him?

'_Something is not right with this,' _the clone Dragon Slayer thought. '_And I need to follow. The previous time, I was unable to do anything, as I was overcome with fear for the first time. But now… I will help Loke.'_

He kept his distance, watching as they placed Loke within a wooden crate. They had acquired the golden chains that had held him in his cell and reattached them to his paws and to the cage itself. There were iron bars on the front, and it was the perfect fit for the lion. Logio saw how they loaded the crate onto the back of a magic-powered vehicle (similar to a truck). So he snuck into the back onto the flatbed and hid in there. The vehicle drove off, exiting the building.

Escaping the facility was something Logio had been wanting for a few days. Ever since hearing the stories from the lion, his view of Karen and his creator Joseph had changed drastically. He had suspicions about the former Celestial Spirit mage when he first laid his eyes on her. That time when he had first awoken from his foreign, dream-filled sleep.

"_You are a clone," _Karen had told him. "_A copy of the most powerful being in this world. You as well as your brothers in the other tanks were all created for one thing; Destruction. And, to obey me of course."_

Logio now understood that he was more than just a clone. He had his own name, his own personality, his own will. And the Dragon Slayer knew that was true because of the results of his actions now. He was escaping, running away from the facility. This was Logio's choice, his free will. Not Karen's, and not Joseph's.

Light from above hit his dark skin, and Logio looked up. Moonlight. In truth, he was astonished. He had never seen the outside world before. The maroon-haired Dragon Slayer had only known what was inside the facility. The temperature had been regulated to a constant, warm temperature. The walls were brick and concrete. Dull, dark, and cold-looking.

But now, the moon illuminated the landscape before him, and he stared in awe. Logio had never seen anything like it before in his short life. The view before his eyes was expansive, in-depth, and other words that his limited vocabulary could not even compensate for.

His dreams had been filled with landscapes as far as the eye could see. Water that went on and on for miles. There was no comparison to it. Now, Logio was seeing what his dreams showed him for the first time.

'_This is what the outside world looks like…'_

Fifteen minutes later, the vehicle arrived at some sort of building with quite a few people. Logio got off the flatbed before anyone could notice him. Joseph and the other three scientists got out and covered Loke's crate with a white sheet. Most likely so no one would see the lion. Then, they moved it onto a cart and began to wheel it away.

'_What is this place?' _he thought.

"Please excuse the interruption," a voice called out from a lacrima-powered megaphone. "The 9 o'clock train to Crocus will be leaving shortly."

'_Crocus?' _Logio wondered. '_That is in Fiore, is it not?'_

If it was one thing that had been useful about the bit of education he got, it was the knowledge of a few areas, more specifically the continent of Ishgar. Truth be told, the location of Karen's facility was outside of Ishgar, and instead in the next continent over. Logio never understood as to why he had to learn about it, but now he had a feeling why.

Karen was originally from Ishgar, or more specifically Fiore. And by extension, so was Loke. If this train, as it was called, was heading for Fiore, then there was a chance of running into Loke's master, Lucy. And not to mention other Fairy Tail mages. This chance was slim, but it was something he was willing to take.

Logio came out from behind the truck quietly, making sure that he wasn't noticed. He noticed Joseph speaking to someone in a plain uniform and signing off on something. The man pointed to one of the train cars, and the lion's crate was now moving towards it. The Dragon Slayer snuck in for a closer view.

The door to the car opened, and a few people placed a wooden ramp at its entrance. He watched as they rolled the crate into it, possibly putting it in a safe and secure position. They came out afterward without it, and the door was closed. Joseph and the other scientists proceeded to head towards another part of the train.

Once the coast was clear, Logio ran towards the door, pulling it open. Thankfully, they forgot to lock it. No one spotted him as he closed the door behind him, leaving the Dragon Slayer in darkness. However, Logio could easily see in the darkness, so finding his way around was no issue.

A loud whistle blew, and he felt the train car jolt and begin to move. He was startled for a moment, but gradually got used to the momentum of the vehicle. Unlike other Dragon Slayers, Joseph had mentioned that he and his brothers were immune to the motion sickness that came with their abilities. This was very handy, considering he was on a moving vehicle.

Finally, Logio found the covered crate. He pulled the sheet up and noticed that the lion was still in the same position he was in previously, only now with his eyes closed. Loke was sleeping.

'_I will not wake him at this moment,' _the Dragon Slayer thinks to himself. '_He will need all the sleep he can obtain.'_

He sat down next to the crate, leaning against it. Logio soon found that he was becoming tired as well. So, the Dragon Slayer let himself fall asleep, listening to the clutter-clutter of the train car against the tracks.

Both would need the rest. For the next few days would be the most horrific in their lives.

**Date: June 25th, X791 **

**Five days until the start of the Grand Magic Games of X791**

* * *

**Author's Note**

**That's the end of Chapter 11! I know, a little short, but the next few will be filled, rest assured.**

**The little bit at the beginning will be the start of something interesting. I've been wanting to go in-depth with the creation of Celestial Spirit Magic for a while, so you'll be seeing those from time to time. And now Loke and Logio are on their way to Crocus! This should be exciting! **

**Lastly, tell me what you think! I love reviews! They keep me going and let me know you guys enjoy the story!**

**Until next time, See Ya Universe!**

**Palkia**


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